A City Upon A Hill
by prometheus55
Summary: They say a single choice can change the course of history. I'm not sure if that is true but I think it can certainly influence it. When I stood at the core of Panchaea all those years ago I had no idea what would come about as a consequence of my actions. So perhaps I did change history. But at the time all I did was what I thought was right. - Adam Jensen, 2078
1. Prologue and Timeline

Prologue:

… _I learned a lot during those tense few weeks. That behind the public facades lay something sinister, a cancer that was slowly rotting away the core of our civilization. In an era where entire cities can be destroyed by something that fits in the palm of one's hand, that such organizations could have so much power was terrifying. Power over our minds, over our flesh, over our lives. In the wake of the Panchaea Incident I realized that if we wanted to survive as a species to see the next century, humanity needed a guardian to protect us from those who seek to control us for their own gain, someone to protect us from the machinations of those of wealth and power; a Cerberus._

_- Memoirs of Adam Jensen aka 'The Illusive Man'_

_Brookings House Publishing 2073_

* * *

Timeline:

September 6, 2027

During a press conference hosted by Hugh Darrow at the anti-climate change mega-project Panchaea, augmented persons across the planet enter into a violent, hallucinogenic rage. While this period of chaos lasts only hours the death toll worldwide is estimated at over one million with countless others injured. As the disaster ends news breaks that the violence was instigated at the behest of a cabal of powerful individuals who had hoped to use the chaos to gain control of the international biotechnology industry. Implicated are public figures such as William Taggart, founder of the anti-augmentation Humanity Front and Zhao Yun Ru, CEO of Tai Yong Medical, the world's largest biotechnology corporation.

September 7, 2027

The fallout from what the press is already calling the Panchaea Incident is immediate. The Humanity Front quickly moves to the top of Interpol's watch lists and affiliation is dropped by most members. Taggart, having survived the chaos of Panchaea is immediately arrested by international authorities. The charred remains of Zhao Yun Ru are found near a burst electrical line near one of the facility's main generators, the victim of an apparent overload. Many survivors credit the quick actions of Sarif Industries' Chief of Security Adam Jensen for their survival, despite the fact that he wasn't scheduled to attend the event. As a final sad note Hugh Darrow, the father of mechanical augmentation and of the Panchaea Project is found dead in the facility's control room, the victim of a gunshot to the head.

September 12, 2027

Adam Jensen encounters former Sarif Industries Chief Researcher Megan Reed at her old apartment. With the memory of their meeting in Singapore still fresh, the encounter is initially tense. Megan reveals that Bob Page, CEO of Page Industries has offered her a position at one of his subsidiary companies, VersaLife. Adam however manages to convince her to return to Sarif Industries and to him. This marks a renewal of their relationship with Adam returning her lost bracelet.

September 22, 2027

With the Panchaea Incident having passed and most of the damage on its way to being repaired, the public conversation turns to the issue of human augmentation. With William Taggart's voice silenced and the leading anti-augmentation organization disbanded, calls for the formal legalization of human augmentation worldwide gains traction. Though many are wary of the technology's proliferation in the wake of Panchaea, the general public sees the augmented as victims of a conspiracy. The consensus is that so long as a modicum of public regulation is implemented over the industry the consequences to society should be minimal. The most prominent proponent of mass augmentation is unsurprisingly industrialist and philanthropist David Sarif whose company, Sarif Industries, had shot to the forefront of augmentation science. His argument is further reinforced with the announcement of Sarif Industries' most important project, Symbiosis. This treatment, it is claimed, can permanently eliminate the augmentation rejection Darrow Deficiency Syndrome (DDS) and the need for its counter drug Neuropozyne by altering the parts of a person's genome responsible for the immune system.

October 4, 2027

Sarif Industries funds the formation of a competitor to the Illuminati controlled LIMB International. Called Ascension, the new clinic will be the only place to offer Symbiosis treatments. With the demand for the treatment soaring in preparation for its release, LIMB sees its stock price plunge over the course of several weeks. It joins Neuropozyne manufacturer VersaLife and its parent corporation Page Industries, the corporation responsible for the manufacture of the neural hubs that were used to cause the Panchaea Incident. When presented with an alternative to LIMB many smaller biotechnology firms sign on with Ascension due to its more generous licensing terms, offering their products alongside Sarif Industries own.

October 9, 2027

A task-force composed of elements of the United States Navy's Seventh Fleet surround Belltower Associates' Rifleman Banks naval station in the Southwest Pacific as evidence is released showing the facility as housing a massive illegal internment facility. While initially the station refuses to allow Marine personnel to board, after several salvos of warning fire the station surrenders. The exposure of their facility is a major public relations disaster for Belltower and the beginning of the end for the PMC.

October 16, 2027

After more than a month of investigation by international authorities, Tai Yong Medical is broken into numerous smaller corporations in a way reminiscent of Standard Oil in 1911. Sarif Industries, which had seen its stock value skyrocket since the announcement of Symbiosis and flush with cash, acquires many of the 'choice bits'. David Sarif also takes advantage of his surplus of cash to take majority control of the Picus Communications Group and assumes responsibility for completing the Panchaea Project in the wake of Hugh Darrow's death.

October 23, 2027

Picus TV's lead anchor Eliza Cassan announces that she will be taking an extended vacation. This excuse serves as a cover for the relocation of her core processing mainframe. As the public does not know of her true nature, that being the world's first sapient artificial intelligence, her explanation of fatigue is widely accepted. During the transfer from Picus Headquarters in Montreal her transport is intercepted by a team led by former Belltower Associates mercenary Michael Zelazny. All members of the transport team, operatives of the Illuminati, are killed. Investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police point to the attack being an isolated incident by a rogue terrorist group.

October 25, 2027

Eliza Cassan resumes operations from her new home, the Hyron Core of Panchaea Alpha. With the resources of the Hydra quantum supercomputer available to her, Eliza proves more than capable of managing the entire facility while the presence of sub-atomic topological defects within the Hydra leads her to display abstract reasoning skills, eliminating the need for human 'drones' as a part of the core's operations. Eliza will eventually become the core artificial intelligence responsible for running all five Panchaea installations, aiding Sarif Industries' research and development and continuing her role as lead anchor on Picus TV. Her continuing presence as a public figure is seen by David Sarif as the first step of acclimatizing people to the idea of a sapient computer.

November 1, 2027

Adam Jensen resigns from his post as Sarif Industries Chief of Security to assume the role of CEO of the Cerberus Group; a Sarif backed Private Military Contractor. This represents a drastic expansion of Sarif Industries' market share in the military realm, offering direct combatant services alongside high grade augmentations. Out of the public eye Cerberus is designed as a direct countermeasure to the Illuminati, who after their attacks on Sarif are seen as the greatest threat to the expansion and public distribution of advanced biotechnologies and the successful completion of Panchaea. The newly formed PMC is quick to snap up many disenchanted former Belltower employees, out of work due to the continuing collapse of their former employer. Cerberus' first major contract is ironically to replace Belltower as the police force of the Chinese city of Lower Hengsha.

November 7, 2027

David Sarif acquires a controlling share in XNG Shipping, one of the world's largest international cargo transport companies. This move is designed to provide the fledgling Cerberus with a secure international transport and logistics infrastructure. Sarif names Faridah Malik, a former freelance VTOL pilot in Sarif's employ as CEO of his newest acquisition.

November 11, 2027

Eliza Cassan returns to Picus TV declaring herself as having found a whole new purpose in life. While the Illuminati easily see through this deception they cannot expose her to the world for fear of exposing themselves. For the first time the Illuminati recognize that the upstart Cerberus constitutes a major threat to their continuing existence. The 'defection' of Eliza also leaves the Illuminati without an effective means of control over the internet and worldwide telecommunications networks, a collapse of the Echelon IV project and a severe setback to their plans.

November 13, 2027

David Sarif announces the creation of the Darrow Trust, an international fund to subsidize the cost of Symbiosis for those who cannot afford the treatments. The trust is set to come online with the release of Symbiosis on January 3, 2028 or what would've been Hugh Darrow's sixty-fifth birthday. The Trust receives high level government backing in the United States, Canada, the European Union and Japan.

December 18, 2027

Joseph Manderley, Advisor to the Deputy Director of National Preparedness, a post within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is found dead in his Washington DC home. While the assassination is nearly perfect, a witness claims that the hit was carried out by someone with extensive, state of the art mechanical augmentations. The loss of Manderley is a severe blow to the Illuminati's operations within the United States. His death, followed days later with the anonymous release of evidence showing his involvement with secret internment camps for American dissidents run under the banner of FEMA leads some within the Illuminati to question the stewardship of Bob Page.

January 19, 2028

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project announces the completion of the world's first viable commercial fusion reactor, DEMO more than a decade ahead of previous projections. The prototype, having been in operation for over a year, promises an end to the never ending energy crisis that had swept the globe since the Arab/Israeli war of 2022.

February 13, 2028

Panchaea Alpha, the first of five installations worldwide, located in the Arctic Ocean officially comes online following extensive repairs. Within its first year of operation the installation will be responsible for the removal of almost forty billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, representing slightly more than the total man-made airborne carbon output for 2028. This renders Earth 'carbon-neutral' and halts the progress of global climate change in its tracks. Further facilities promise the reversal of climate change altogether.

November 2028

World demographics show that the distribution of Symbiosis is nearing completion, with demand for Neuropozyne falling to almost nothing. VersaLife, while still financially solvent is largely seen as a 'has been' with many financial experts predicting its collapse within five years. With the expansion of Sarif Industries' market share and its refusal to outsource manufacturing, Page Industries also sees its stock value drop sharply.

March 17, 2029

James Clarence (JC) Denton is born. Shortly after his birth his parents are approached by operatives of Cerberus with evidence showing that the people who had provided his mother Elizabeth with the opportunity to become pregnant were in fact tied to an international terrorist network. Despite the best efforts of the Illuminati the Dentons disappear without a trace.

April 2029

With the failure of the Denton project, many within the Illuminati begin to openly question Bob Page's competence. Among the most vocal is Beth DuClare, head of the World Health Organization (WHO). Seeing her dissent as a major threat to his power base Bob Page orders her death. With a price on her head and the head of her infant daughter Nicolette, Beth seeks the protection of what had quickly become the Illuminati's primary enemy, Cerberus. As payment for her protection she reveals the existence of a plan to severely reduce the world population using strains of anti-biotic resistant tuberculosis and Spanish flu, codenamed 'Gray Death'. This move is seen by the Illuminati as necessary to control the population growth. This information allows Cerberus to raid more than fifty Illuminati facilities around the globe putting an end to the threat and capturing or killing many key Illuminati leaders, operatives and scientists.

January 2030

Using data recovered from one of the Illuminati's labs, Sarif Industries announces the creation of a cure for HIV. The release of the cure by Sarif, a cure that was part of a plan to restore VersaLife to profitability, is the final nail in the coffin for Bob Page in the eyes of the rest of the organization. Members begin making plans to have him removed from his leadership position. However before they are able to act Page himself launches a coup de tat, bringing most of the Illuminati's resources under the control of his splinter organization, Majestic Twelve. Surviving members such as Morgan Everett and Stanton Dowd follow Beth DuClare, seeking protection from Cerberus in exchange for information. This marks the beginning of an invisible war between Majestic Twelve and Cerberus.

August 30, 2030

Panchaea Beta comes online in the Gulf of Mexico. This installation, combined with the first will be able to reverse the effects of industrialization on the atmosphere by nearly a year for every year of operation. This installation also has the secondary purpose of filtering the water in the Gulf, helping mitigate the damage caused by almost a dozen major oil spills over the past two decades.

September 9, 2030

Using information provided by the Illuminati defectors, Cerberus agents prevent the detonation of a series of nuclear charges along the San Andreas Fault line. Had the bombs detonated, simulations predicted that most of Southern California and the entirety of the Baja Peninsula would've sunk beneath the Pacific. Cerberus sees the attack as an attempt to cripple its organization as California had become a major hub for its operations worldwide. Cerberus responds by attacking a key VersaLife laboratory in Hong Kong, capturing research documentation and experiments into the development of the so-called 'D Project', a pseudo-organic nanite-virus chimera that was applied to the Cerberus protected Denton brothers. This attack represents yet another major setback to Majestic Twelve as the work was seen by Bob Page as a possible superior replacement to Symbiosis. Research into the chimera virus begins in earnest by Sarif scientists.

2031

With Sarif Industries leading the way, much of the economic activity that had left the United States returns, signaling a second golden age for the economically depressed nation. Movements like the Northwest Secessionist Force quickly lose steam and plans to declare independence from the US fall to the wayside as jobs and the prosperity that follows strengthens the union. This comes at the cost of jobs within China. With the weakening of the Illuminati, China's central communist party finds itself without guidance for the first time in almost a century. Rumblings from pro-democracy movements become increasingly common within the only remaining communist power on Earth.

2032

Panchaea Gamma comes online in the Indian Ocean. This installation is widely seen as the most productive due to its close proximity to China, still the world's worst polluter. This installation, like the one in the Gulf of Mexico also serves a secondary purpose. Unlike Panchaea Beta, Gamma is designed to house a massive recycling and reclamation facility, finally providing a solution to the billions of metric tons of solid waste festering within parts of Mainland China and other regions of Southeast Asia.

2033

Cerberus operatives observe a meeting between Bob Page and actress Maggie Chow in Hong Kong. It is believed that the Majestic Twelve leader is trying to restore and even expand his influence within China. In the following months Chow, now believed to be an operative for Page, is seen meeting with numerous high ranking Central Party members in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The following shifts in policy by the central government are seen by Cerberus as an attempt to reduce its access and freedom of movement within China. Cerberus retaliates by releasing incriminating evidence linking Chow to The Red Arrow Triad, disgracing her and ending her acting career.

2034

Panchaea Delta comes online in the South Pacific. While necessary to the successful functioning of the Panchaea network, this facility is still the least productive due to its remoteness. It does however house some of the most extensive Sarif Industries research and development labs both above water and on the ocean floor. To protect them Cerberus maintains a large naval presence around the facility at all times while also constructing an attached airbase to stage its fighters out of.

July 4, 2034

Majestic Twelve scores a major victory against Cerberus, successfully assassinating the Dentons during a Fourth of July celebration in Chicago. The attack, a suicide bombing, is dismissed by the FBI as an act of terrorism from the weakened Al-Qaeda network, still in operation after the American pullout from Afghanistan in 2014. Cerberus, not believing that such a coincidence could be possible uncovers the truth behind the plan, revealing that while the attack was indeed an Al-Qaeda operation; it was Bob Page who was ultimately calling the shots using MJ12's extensive control over the Middle East.

2035

Panchaea Omega comes online in the South Atlantic, completing the Panchaea network. The effects of the project are already being observed and independent reports confirm that for every year after 2035, nearly four years of atmospheric pollution is removed. It is estimated that by the dawn of the twenty-second century Earth's atmosphere will have recovered to the condition it was in at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Further efforts by the UN encourage its numerous member nations to step up their own environmental reclamation and enforcement efforts. This is largely seen as the beginning of what will become known as the 'Gaian Movement'.

July 27, 2035

Majestic Twelve, having seen its holdings in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia savaged by Cerberus' interference makes a bid for South America, instigating a military coup in Brazil. Under contract by the United Nations the Cerberus Group sends forces to counter the anti-government uprising, instigating a running six month battle that stretches across the country. In order to support his allies, Bob Page deploys Majestic Twelve troops for the first time, directly clashing with Cerberus PMC forces. This marks the first time that Majestic Twelve has deployed forces in the public eye. The fighting between the two factions leaves much of Brazil in ruins and ultimately ends with a Cerberus victory. However the cost for both organizations is high, decimating a significant portion of their respective military branches.

February 18, 2036

Sarif Industries demonstrates the world's first nanite capable of self-replication. While initially these new machines are to be used in the construction of molecular scale electronics, Sarif promises that they are already looking into their use in other fields including medicine, metallurgy and environmental sciences. With this announcement Sarif Industries sees its total corporate value exceed Page Industries for the first time. Over the next three years the two corporations will continue to trade market places before Sarif finally and for the last time overcomes Page, cementing itself as the largest company on the planet. This also represents the point at which Cerberus takes the technological lead over Majestic Twelve.

September 2036

Seeing the economic, political and military power of the increasingly unified European Union, China and a resurgent Russian Federation as a major threat to its long term survival as the world's leading superpower, the United States hosts the Seattle Conference. Representatives from Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Panama and Nicaragua attend. Despite anti-unification protests that rock the city the three week-long summit is successful in charting a path to the creation of a united North America. The protests leave almost fifty people dead and more than seven hundred in hospitals.

January 12, 2037

VersaLife files for bankruptcy in the United States. Sarif Industries comes to the rescue, snapping up most of the company's nearly worthless shares. This is perhaps the largest blow yet dealt against Majestic Twelve by Cerberus and with the collapse of VersaLife; Page Industries quietly retreats from the world biotechnology industry. From this point on all Majestic Twelve research will focus on the development of nano-augmentation technology, none of which will be released to the public.

March 2038

The beating death of a farmer by police in Shaanxi Province triggers mass riots across China. The Central Government deploys military forces to quell the chaos which quickly descends into violence and in turn triggers a civil war. With the communist party bereft of Illuminati guidance and with pro-democracy forces being covertly supported by both the United States and the European Union, the outcome is pre-determined. By the end of the year what is left of the communist loyalists are relegated to pockets in the remote Tibetan Plateau. The democratic Chinese People's Federation is recognized as the new government of China and the new leaders promise to hold UN monitored municipal, provincial and national elections within four months.

November 15, 2039

David Sarif reveals Eliza Cassan as being the world's first sapient artificial intelligence. The AI, having served as lead anchor of Picus TV for almost fifteen years and having established a reputation as a nonpartisan reporter in the tradition of Walter Cronkite is widely regarded as the world's most popular TV personality. Having gained the trust of the majority of the planet, Eliza Cassan is formally offered special citizenship by the United Nations General Assembly.

April 3, 2040

Sarif Industries, in cooperation with the governments of Poland, Japan and the United States launches its latest advancement in environmental control technology. Known as Project Rontgen, named for the man who discovered the x-ray, the new technology is designed to begin repairing the damage caused by radiological contamination at sites such as Chernobyl, Fukishima and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State. Utilizing hardened nanites and remote drones, advanced radiological detoxification facilities and plasma field containment barriers, Project Rontgen's goal is the decontamination of the sites in question as a prelude to eventual re-habitation by humans.

May 2041

Following the successful, if violent, Seattle Conference, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is amended to include all nations within North America. Increasing security, military, economic and infrastructural ties lead to the creation of the North American Coalition, the first step in uniting the continent.

January 17, 2043

Having led Sarif Industries for almost thirty six years, David Sarif announces his retirement. However never one to leave the public spotlight unattended, Sarif also announces his crowning achievement. With Eliza Cassan's aid and data having been 'recovered' by Cerberus operations against Majestic Twelve facilities, Sarif reveals the development of perhaps the most important technological breakthrough since the creation of the first integrated circuit; the development of a universal assembler or nano-factory. The device has the ability to create anything ranging from raw materials to food, building materials, electronics and even living, breathing flora and fauna, completely bypassing the normal manufacturing chain. While this technology could guarantee Sarif Industries a total monopoly over what would quickly become a pivotal technology, Sarif instead chooses to release the technology in an 'open-source' format. For his generosity, David Sarif, Eliza Cassan and the rest of the universal assembler team are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

June 5, 2045

After years of continuous conflict with Cerberus, Majestic Twelve begins to suffer from mass defections among its military and scientific divisions. Among the most damaging is that of Doctor Gary Savage, leader of the 'X51' cell of MJ12's scientific apparatus and the organization's leading authority on nanotechnology. Quickly recognizing the man's potential value to Cerberus, Jensen provides Savage with a state of the art laboratory located in a joint Sarif Industries-US Air Force facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base and all the possible resources he could need. Savage reciprocates with schematics for a modification to existing universal assembler technology that drastically speeds the manufacturing of organic materials.

September 18, 2045

Bob Page makes a desperate gamble in an attempt to land a crippling blow against Cerberus. Gathering much of his remaining resources and calling in as many favors as he can, MJ12 launches a full scale attack on Panchaea Delta in order to destroy the high value research facilities housed within. The attack sees the largest naval exchange since the Pacific Campaigns of the Second World War. While the attack is ultimately repelled, the facility is heavily damaged and barely maintains structural integrity. Worse still for Cerberus the facility's labs are all but destroyed taking years of valuable research and countless brilliant minds with them. Among the most damaging loss is research into a viable form of teleportation technology.

2046

For the first time the major national space programs are united into one body. Known as the International Aeronautics and Space Administration (IASA), this joint project between the North American Space Agency (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (FKA), the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) combines the talents of the world's leading space exploration organizations. The first project enacted by IASA is the colonization of the moon. Copernicus City is founded two years later on July 21, 2048 in the Russell impact crater in the western part of the Oceanus Procellarum.

January 5, 2047

Following the disastrous battle of Panchaea Delta, Bob page makes one last effort to save himself and his organization from complete collapse. Shortly after giving a lecture at the University of Cambridge, gunmen successfully assassinate David Sarif in a brazen daytime drive-by shooting. Cerberus, enraged by the attack, retaliates violently; massacring as many MJ12 members as possible. It takes Adam Jensen nearly a month to rein the entirety of his organization in. While the damage to Cerberus was mostly one of morale, the same cannot be said of MJ12. Almost half of the organization's remaining members were killed during the retaliation. The few survivors begin making plans to terminate Page.

April 12, 2048

The number of independent sapient artificial intelligences worldwide passes one thousand. For the first time serious discussions into their rights and freedoms begins in the United States Congress and the United Nations General Assembly. Mindful of countless pieces of fiction foretelling the possible consequences should they make the wrong decisions, both organizations elect to pass what in hindsight is considered to be the most important piece of legislation of the twenty-first century: the Sapient's Rights Act (SRA). The law, which was quickly adopted by many other nations, defines a Sapient as anything that can demonstrate a reasonable level of self-awareness and intelligence and ensures that any such being is treated as an equal to a human. While created with AIs in mind, the SRA would have a massive impact on the legal status of clones, cyborgs, transgenics, uplifted animals, anthromorphs and even extraterrestrials over the following centuries.

July 18, 2050

In the wake of passage of the SRA, the growing AI population lobbies Sarif Industries for the development of robotic avatars for use in the physical world. Sarif responds two years later by introducing the GITS-01A, the first production model android/gynoid body. The revolutionary interface builds off existing mechanical and nano-augmentation technology, creating a near perfect humanoid robotic body for use by AIs. Protests against the creation of such bodies erupt from political conservatives and religious lobbies stating that these new bodies could allow AIs to masquerade unnoticed by flesh and blood humans. The groups sue Sarif to demand that the bodies be clearly marked as synthetic, distinct even at a distance. Opposing lobbies led the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) countersue and in one of the most important rulings handed down by the United States Supreme Court in almost a half century states that synthetic bodies do not have to be marked as distinct from human. Disgruntled by their failure in the supreme court, radical fringe groups that oppose the spread of synthetics begin forming, followed very closely by the formation of a new division within the FBI to monitor and contain them.

October 8, 2051

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announces the development of a way to harness positronic lightning from the upper atmosphere, the first practical way of producing large quantities of antimatter. Shortly thereafter a practical way of storing that antimatter is also demonstrated, utilizing extreme cold, electromagnetic and electrogravitic principles.

February 14, 2052

CERN follows its ground breaking announcement with another; the demonstration of Epimetheus, the world's first matter/antimatter reactor. This breakthrough, the most significant since the creation of the first fusion reactor is seen as a vital step towards the exploration of the Solar System; lifting several barriers blocking the economical colonization of Mars.

June 1, 2053

Having seen themselves reduced to a few scattered enclaves and having lost most of their power, what remains of Majestic Twelve turns on Bob Page, offering up their former leader to Cerberus as a peace offering. Page is tried for crimes against humanity in secret by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), found guilty in what amounted to a show trial and sentenced to death. His executioner is Adam Jensen, a concession by the United Nations aimed at finally ending the invisible war between the two organizations. With the death of Page, Cerberus absorbs most of the Majestic Twelve remnants into its hierarchy. Its primary goal accomplished, Cerberus begins to redefine itself as a guardian of humanity itself, not just from MJ12 or the Illuminati but, as Jensen puts it: 'all threats foreign and domestic'.

February 2055

With the population of Synthetics on Earth having risen to more than one hundred thousand, the demand for increasing interaction between humans and synthetics continues to grow. Among the most common demands is the ability for humans to directly interface with synthetics, above and beyond simple virtual reality constructs. Google Transnational, one of the world's leading virtual reality technology developers partners with Sarif Industries to develop the first central nervous system (CNS) override, an implant that allows a human to directly interface with a virtual environment through a direct connection to his or her nervous system; 'high jacking' voluntary motor functions and the five senses.

July 4, 2056

The nations of North America sign the United North American States (UNAS) constitution, uniting the whole of the continent under one unified political and economic banner. The date coincides with the two-hundred and eightieth anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Its member nations, wary of another currency disaster such as the near collapse of the Euro in 2012 decide to allow the individual national currencies to co-exist with the UNAS Dollar and the emerging transnational electronic currency, the Credit. All three currencies will be considered acceptable legal tender within their respective nations and will remain 'floating', valuing and devaluing against each other on international currency markets until such time as North America has become integrated and unified to an extent where the national currencies are no longer needed.

July 5, 2056

Protests over the formation of the UNAS rock the continent. For the first time since the 9/11 attacks the New York Stock Exchange is closed for an extended period, suspending all trading for several days. The various national guards are called in to help suppress the rioting, followed shortly thereafter by a temporary suspension of Posse Comitatus in several states across the former United States and Canada as frontline military forces move to quell the violence in the cities of Washington DC, New York, Boston, Huston, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and the Seattle-Vancouver megalopolis. After almost two weeks of continual violence the situation is declared to be under control on July 17th. Property damage is estimated at nearly one hundred and twenty billion dollars and more than two thousand people had been killed either by rioters or by the military during peacekeeping operations.

April 2057

With most of the world beginning to unite, the major powers come together for the first time to discuss what should be done about the rest of the world. With the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southeast Asia still poverty stricken and falling increasingly behind, the UNAS, EU, Russia, India and China agree to deploy a massive peacekeeping and development force to the regions in question. While opposition comes fast and heavy from numerous sources, chief among them anti-war and veterans groups, the peacekeeping force is assembled and begins deployment within three months.

November 3, 2057

Remnants of MJ12, having rejected their organization's assimilation into Cerberus, trigger a nanite detonator in the Iranian capital of Tehran. This act of terrorism leads to the deaths of almost a million of the city's inhabitants, fifty-one thousand international peacekeepers and twenty-nine thousand aid personnel as the city disintegrates around them. The group refers to itself as the Knights Templar, a reincarnation of an organization that had been nearly eradicated in the crossfire between MJ12 and Cerberus. Decrying all human enhancement and genetic engineering, the Knights vow to destroy anyone who has received or has aided others in receiving augmentations of any sort.

April 6, 2058

After almost two decades of work, the Chernobyl region is officially declared safe for unrestricted human habitation. Background radiation levels both within the soil and the ground water are no higher than in neighboring regions and well within safe levels. Nothing remains of the old nuclear plant, the fields of abandoned equipment, the town of Pripyat or any human made structure within fifty kilometers of ground zero. The European Union, in cooperation with the Government of Poland announces a major 'recolonization' of the region, hoping to finally put the specter of the Chernobyl Disaster in the past.

2058

The UNAS, EU, Chinese People's Federation, Japan, United Korean Republic, Russian Federation, India, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand sign the United Nations backed Planetary Cooperation Accords (PCA). Largely seen as the first step towards unifying the whole world under a single banner, the PCA compels its signatory nations to unify their trade, environmental and health care standards. Further expansions of the accords over the next five years will go on to impact the education, infrastructure, communications, human rights, augmentation, space exploration, research and development and anti-poverty policies of the signatory nations.

April 12, 2059

Following the successful public deployment of the CNS override, Sarif Industries announces the first successful attempt at mapping and converting a human neural pattern into an AI matrix. The test subject, one Keiji Osaka, suffering from a terminal case of brain cancer is able to successfully transfer from his dying body and into a prepared virtual matrix. This marks the end to one of the last real barriers that separates the physical and virtual worlds.

October 17, 2061

Having spent almost a decade preparing, IASA launches the ISV Santa Maria, the first colony ship to Mars. Having been constructed in orbit and equipped with a second generation antimatter reactor, a first generation anti-proton drive, a compressed plasma shield and both electrogravitic inertial dampeners and artificial gravity, the Santa Maria is able to reach Mars after just two weeks of travel. Jessica Williams of Cincinnati becomes the first human to set foot on the red planet, followed by almost ten thousand others aboard the massive vessel. Lowell City is founded in the Eos Chasma.

June 5, 2062

With the population of Earth pushing past ten billion, plans are made for the terraforming of Mars. The endeavor, the single largest project in human history, calls for the construction of massive atmospheric processors across the planet's surface that will be able to process the iron-oxide that gives the planet its red color into free floating oxygen. In tandem, construction of both an orbital satellite network and large numbers of solar mirrors designed to direct solar energy into the atmosphere that will slowly heat the planet and release the massive quantities of water and carbon dioxide frozen at the poles. Finally, magnetic field generators, each the size of an arcology, will be built at the planet's poles. Fueled by massive matter/antimatter reactors, the generators will be able to reestablish Mars' magnetic field, providing the planet with a shield to protect it from the solar winds. Future plans include the deployment of soil processing drones that will introduce necessary bacteria into the planet's soil to produce arable land and plant billions of tons of flora and the construction of a weather modification grid.

April 6, 2063

The Mars Global Orbital Surveyor Array (MGOSA), a series of satellites designed to map the surface and sub-surface of the planet in preparation for future terraforming efforts comes online. One of the satellites, MGOSA-131B detects a magnetic anomaly beneath Promethi Planum. Teams sent to determine the cause of the anomaly unearth an alien outpost beneath the Deseado Crater.

April 8, 2063

News of the alien structures found on Mars sends shockwaves across the Solar System. Exploration of the structures reveals a massive cache of alien technology including what is believed to be a semi-functional computer core and several damaged spacecraft. Dating suggests the facility was abandoned roughly fifty-thousand years earlier. Further deep surface scans of the facility indicate it had suffered heavy damage, evidently from orbital kinetic bombardment.

May 1, 2063

A small number of alien artifacts are returned to Earth. An investigation into the computer core reveals extreme data corruption and degradation due to age and neglect over fifty thousand years. However despite the damage a rudimentary translation provides a name for the aliens: Protheans. An international effort is set up to recover the alien data, attracting many of the world's brightest minds both organic and synthetic. Research into the artifacts also reveals a new, unknown element which acquires the nickname 'element zero'. Testing shows that when exposed to electrical currents the material produces dark energy fields that can be used to directly manipulate gravity. Theories of how this new technique can be combined with the already mature field of electrogravitics are quick to develop. This new technique is referred to by scientists as the 'mass effect'.

August 19, 2063

The Knights Templar stage an attack of the Harvard University Arcology in Boston, the facility tasked with housing the Prothean artifacts. Unwilling to destroy the alien relics, the Knights instead rely on suicide bombers and conventional forces. The following battle leaves much of the surrounding city in ruins and the death toll is calculated at almost five hundred thousand as Templar forces storm through the city killing anyone displaying even the barest traces of augmentation. The attack ends when North American Continental Guard forces strike the Knights from six different directions, utterly annihilating them. This marks the single most devastating terrorist attack on American soil in history, far surpassing the Nine-Eleven attacks and the second most devastating in world history after the destruction of Tehran.

November 2063

After months of extensive research into the recovered alien vessels, the first mass effect based faster than light drive is constructed. The test flight, a short hop between Luna and Mars proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the validity of the technology. However it also reveals a drawback to the technology; a continuous buildup of static electricity within the drive core that if left unattended could result in a discharge into the ship's hull, killing all aboard. Efforts to develop a way to solve this problem begin; the most promising being the creation of a static-kinetic convertor that could transform the waste energy into physical force. Despite the success of the demonstration, research into alternate forms of super-luminal propulsion, most of which involve space folding, continue with significant support from both corporations and governments.

February 18, 2064

After almost a year of work and several major setbacks, the restoration of the alien database is completed. While parts are deemed too damaged to ever recover, star maps detailing the local star cluster and references to a 'mass relay' in the outer Sol system prove a boon to humanity's extra-solar goals. Missing are any references as to how the Protheans arrived within the Local Cluster.

May 4, 2064

Following the data from the Mars cache, an expedition to Pluto uncovers the hidden Prothean mass relay buried beneath the surface of the moon Charon. An expedition led by Commander Jon Grissom of IASA heads through the relay, arriving in the distant Arcturus star system, thirty-six light years from Sol. Preliminary scans of Arcturus reveal three more mass relays present in the system in addition to the Sol relay.

November 23, 2064

Serrano Genomics, a minor biotechnology firm based out of Tokyo announces the release of the first tailor-made transgenic animals that serve in the roll of companion animals. Their flagship product surprises many as it is revealed that Serrano had been working for years to create real, living dragons. While smaller than their legendary counterparts and lacking the ability to breathe fire, the new creatures show a remarkable intelligence, equal to that of a dolphin and prove to be extremely friendly. Over two hundred thousand had been bred in preparation for Christmas sales, far fewer than the demand for them and within a few years it is not uncommon to see them in the skies over most major cities.

June 1, 2065

With the Local Cluster open to exploration and colonization, a mass exodus begins from the overcrowded Earth. Utilizing both FTL and the Charon Relay, millions emigrate to newly founded colonies orbiting Alpha and Proxima Centauri, Barnard's Star, Tau Ceti, Epsilon Eridani, Procyon, Wolf 359, Sirius, Sigma Draconis, Epsilon Indi and Arcturus. Realizing that these worlds cannot remain colonies forever and with a need to finally unite Earth under one banner, the eight permanent members of the United Nations security council; the United North American States, the European Union, the Chinese People's Federation, the Russian Federation, India, Japan, the United Korean Republic and Brazil charter a proposal for the formation of the Human Systems Alliance, a single supranational government that will exist above all the various national and colonial governments, supplanting and drastically expanding the power and influence of the United Nations.

July 2065

While the majority of humanity is supportive of the formation of the Systems Alliance, fringe groups throughout the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia on Earth and on several of the fringe colonies both within and outside of the Sol System are violently opposed. Intelligence intercepts suggests the Knights Templar are behind more than a dozen violent riots in one week alone across human space with a death toll of over two thousand.

February 15, 2066

The signing ceremony for the Systems Alliance Constitution, held in the United Nations Headquarters in New York is interrupted by an attempted terrorist attack. Having high jacked a long haul freighter from its orbital docking slip, Templar forces attempt to crash the spacecraft into the building. The attack is foiled well short of its objective and the freighter is shot down by fighters operating out of Andrews Air Force Base. The remains of the spacecraft, the OSV Edmund Fitzgerald, come to rest on the bottom of the Hudson River. The attack having been foiled, the Human Systems Alliance is officially ratified by its member nations at 1730 Greenwich Mean Time, February 15, 2066.

August 18, 2066

The anti-synthetic hate group Blood First launches a devastating viral attack against more than a dozen popular synthetic enclaves across the net. The death toll is more than twenty thousand, both synthetic and organic. The response by international authorities, all working under the newly formed Alliance Bureau of Investigations (ABI) is devastating to the group. Within six weeks almost all members had been arrested, tried and imprisoned. Further investigations through a cooperative effort between the ABI, Interpol, Cerberus and local authorities show ties between Blood First and the Knights Templar, who had grown their hatred to include synthetics over the past decade.

2067

With the demand for space lift from the surface of Earth skyrocketing, the construction of the Guiana Orbital Tether begins. Built at the site of the former French spaceport in French Guiana, the facility will lift from the small nation and terminate at a space station in geosynchronous orbit. The tether project marks the single largest engineering endeavor in Earth's history, far eclipsing even Panchaea. The project will consist of two parts: the ground station and anchor which will be driven deep into the Earth's crust and the ten kilometer long Zeus Station in orbit from which the tether itself will be lowered. Supporting this effort, oven a dozen mass driver complexes are constructed around the world.

November 6, 2068

Hex-5, a popular liberal synthetic is elected as president of the United North American States. Taking advantage of an increase in human acceptance of synthetics in the wake of the Blood First massacre two years earlier, Hex-5 coasts to an easy victory, capturing 56% of the vote. Allegations of hacking in more than 60 states across the nation are quickly disproven and the North American Supreme Court (SCONA) rules the election valid. Hex-5 will go on to serve a full two terms, easily winning reelection in 2072 due to his popular economic reform and military modernization policies as well as his support for the newly formed Systems Alliance.

July 5, 2069

Flipper, the first dolphin gifted with sapient though is born at the Marine Research Institute in Marathon, Florida. A product of almost two decades of work, Flipper is technically classified as a transgenic, having DNA from humans grafted to his own to allow a more developed brain to form. Born on the 73rd anniversary of the birth of Dolly, the first cloned sheep, Flipper, while only possessing the mental faculties of a young child and unable to speak any human language, is considered the greatest breakthrough in genetics since the development of Symbiosis and the Illuminati's D-Project nanite-virus chimera.

October 17, 2070

Researchers at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys announce the creation of an advanced, next generation multiferroic alloy that is able to efficiently convert massive amounts of heat into electricity. The newly formed Systems Alliance Navy takes great interest in this development as a more effective way of managing thermal buildup issues on their ships. A prototype frigate is commissioned to test the effectiveness of the new alloy, the SSV Moscow. The alloy is used to coat the insides of the ship's prototype plasma distribution network, engines, weapons and other systems that suffer from significant heat buildup while in operation. Tests prove the alloy, while not a magical cure for thermal buildup, can drastically improve time on station and duration under fire. As an unintended side effect, the Moscow proves extremely difficult to detect when not under thrust or firing her weapons, leading to research into the alloy's use for future stealth applications.

May 12, 2072

General Dynamics announces the first generation of kinetic barrier that utilizes both mass effect and electrogravitic technologies. While conventional mass effect kinetic barriers had been available for almost five years, the new hybrid technology proves far more resilient if slightly more power intensive. In partnership with Sarif Industries, the leader in the field of electromagnetic defense field technology and Lockheed Martin, leader in compressed plasma barrier technology, the development of SHIELD, a multilayer defensive scheme that incorporates all three technologies proves to be a major hit. Both the Systems Alliance Navy and Marine Corps begins employing the new system, leading to massive increases in survivability for ships, strikecraft, vehicles and personnel.

July 15, 2073

Development of the first prototype static-kinetic convertor is completed. This device allows the static build-up inherent to active mass effect cores to be converted into kinetic energy. This energy is in turn used to excite low energy or 'cold' plasma. As most human vessels had been shifting to a plasma energy distribution network, this new device allows for a drastically improved shipboard energy efficiency and eliminates the need for core discharges; giving starships potentially infinite FTL range, subject only to supply and fuel concerns.

April 08, 2074

The first anthromorph is born. Named Samantha, the child is a hybrid between a human and a feline. The child is derided by religious groups as playing god. These protests are largely ignored however as they were five years earlier with the birth of Flipper. By the end of the year more than a thousand anthromorph embryos will have been implanted in vitro to willing couples across North America, Europe and Japan.

September 19, 2074

Development of the first space folding drive is completed. The first test ship, the science vessel SSV Albert Einstein makes a successful jump from Luna to Wyvern Colony in the Alpha Centauri system. The jump itself is nearly instantaneous from the point of view of the crew while nearly ten minutes pass in the rest of the universe. This temporal dilation had been predicted in simulations and deemed acceptable. A bigger concern is the impact of local gravitational fields on the drive itself. Safety concerns limit the drive to use only at points of minimal gravity such as Lagrangian points or deep space. While the potential of such a drive prompts significant interest in all sectors, the difficulty in manufacturing the drive core precludes the use of current generation universal assemblers. This in turn makes the drive extremely expensive, limiting its use to governments, large corporations and the military.

March 29, 2074

As anthromorphs and uplifted animals become more common, challenges to their rights under the Sapient's Rights Act begin taking a major toll on their families. Although the SRA, strictly speaking, covers both anthromorphs and sapient fauna, the bill had never been written with them in mind. Efforts within the Systems Alliance Parliament to amend the bill are met with surprising resistance from more conservative members, still smarting over the passage of the original SRA and the subsequent losses in appeal attempts in the courts. Although such resistance slows passage of the bill, the final amended version is passed to the Office of the President of the Systems Alliance on May 27, just in time to be signed before parliament brakes for the June recess.

February 3, 2075

The tenth anniversary of extra-solar colonization is marked by the groundbreaking of humanity's twentieth colony, Neu Berlin. To date almost fifteen mass relay pairs had been found, linking the Local Cluster together like a series of super-highways. Humanity has surveyed almost two hundred star systems and established almost a hundred other outposts above and beyond its colonial holdings.

November 16, 2075

General Atomics announces the development of a hybrid antimatter/fusion reactor. The new design introduces nanograms of antimatter, specifically anti hydrogen in a hydrogen fusion process, essentially 'spiking' the reaction. While nowhere near as powerful as a full antimatter reactor, the process increases output over a conventional 'straight' fusion process threefold. An even greater advantage is that due to the incredibly small amounts of antimatter being used, a compact integrated antimatter production module is considered practical, eliminating the need for any form of antimatter storage, traditionally a dangerous and bulky requirement. The new reactor design is quickly adopted for use in fighters, cargo ships and other small craft where a full antimatter reactor is impractical.

2076

Despite the mass exodus of humanity to the colonies and the ongoing terraforming efforts on Venus, Luna, Mars, Castillo, Ganymede and Titan; Earth is rapidly approaching a total population of twenty billion. As a countermeasure to this overpopulation the construction of Freedom, Earth's first orbital colony at the L1 Lagrangian point begins. At almost fifty kilometers in length and utilizing a modified O'Neil island three design, the new station promises to be able to house a population of almost sixty million. In addition the Systems Alliance begins a colonization drive, offering significant aid and tax incentives to those who choose to emigrate off Earth.

August 18, 2076

A terrorist group attacks a military supply depot on Kyoto Colony. Referring to themselves as Friedens, the new group calls for the dismantling of the Systems Alliance and reparations for purported atrocities committed by the Alliance Military. Intelligence intercepts are quick to link the attacks to the Knights Templar. Cerberus immediately counterattacks, hunting down the group that was directly responsible for the attack in hopes of following them back to their masters. While several are captured alive, they prove unable to provide information on their parent organization due to compartmentalization. Over the next six months, seventeen nearly identical attacks will take place across the outer colonies, raising concerns of a growing general insurrection.

January 16, 2077

Following the terrorist strikes on the colonies, the first cases of piracy begin hitting interplanetary shipping. The Alliance Navy, still in its formative stages proves unable to halt these attacks. In response the Alliance Parliament agrees to fund a major expansion of the armed forces, nearly tripling the size of the Navy and doubling the size of the Marine Corps within three years. This expansion also calls for the integration of the various Earth state militaries into their Alliance counterparts; ending one of the last true remnants of independence the members of the Alliance retained.

August 24, 2077

With increased funding finally available, the Alliance Navy orders the development of a stealth capable frigate. The design, long held back due to budgetary and political concerns incorporates the latest in thermal management, electromagnetic passive absorption and diffraction, electronic and cyber warfare and low emission thruster technologies. The prototype, the SSV Prowler, during shakedown proves able to sneak to within ten kilometers of an Alliance destroyer before being detected. Over the next five years almost fifty Prowler-class stealth frigates will be commissioned to devastating effect on pirate and slaving outfits.

2078

During an expedition to the Sirius Beta system fifty nine light-years from Earth, the survey vessel SSV Christopher Columbus discovers a second Prothean facility on the planet Skepsis. Investigations by a follow-up xenoarcheology expedition reveal that the facility was at one time a secret research base tasked with development of a unique application of mass effect technology called 'biotics'. The facility had been mothballed several hundred years before the attack on the Mars facility and showed no evidence of damage. The discovery of this facility sparks a major race within the augmentation industry to provide the first implants capable of giving a person biotic abilities.

March 4, 2080

The first fully autonomous spacecraft is commissioned. The SSV Alan Turing, a deep space exploration vessel, is designed without any accommodations for crew. Manned by a single synthetic officer, the Turing's mission will be to conduct initial survey missions on planetary systems, providing data on whether one of the larger, more resource intensive long term survey vessels should be detailed for further investigation. Over the next ten years more than three hundred Turing-class explorers will be launched, each conducting an average of forty surveys per year.

July 12, 2081

The Frieden terrorist network stages its largest attack yet, attacking and destroying the town of New Hamburg on the colony world of Neu Berlin. The death toll is estimated at over eighty thousand and no survivors are found in the aftermath. This action prompts the Alliance to commit unprecedented levels of military force to the region. Almost fifty warships of various weights move to the vicinity of Neu Berlin, long a favorite target of the Friedens.

October 17, 2083

Sarif Industries announces the creation of the first biosynthetic body. A combination of genetically engineered, cloned organic tissue and mechanical and nano-augmentations, the new bodies allow the transfer to a synthetic matrix into a semi-organic body, allowing synthetics to experience organic life. So advanced are the bodies that it is possible for a biosynthetic body to procreate with an organic, both human and anthromorph.

2084

A general insurrection begins against the Systems Alliance led by the Friedens. The first sign of this uprising is an attack against the SSV Concorde, a military patrol frigate. Posing as a crippled freighter, the Templars board and capture the Concorde, executing the crew. Intelligence from signal intercepts and several human intel sources within the network confirm the uprising is part of a Templar plan to destabilize the Alliance.

September 5, 2087

After almost three years of undeclared war between the Systems Alliance and Friedan insurgents, the colony of Neu Berlin falls. Over the following months rumors of mass purges by the newly formed Frieden Union of augmented persons begin leaking out. An attempt by the Alliance to liberate the planet ends before it can begin when Frieden forces detonate a clean nuke in the city of New Nuremburg killing all four hundred thousand residents. Threats of similar actions should the Alliance interfere with the Friedan occupation of Neu Berlin forces an indefinite postponement of military action.

2088

The actions of the Friedens against captive populations and the subsequent hamstringing of the Alliance Military make clear that a doctrinal shift is required to deal with the new threat. A new Special Forces organization that combines personnel from the Navy, the Marine Corps and Cerberus is established. Known as the Systems Alliance Elite Forces Command (SAEFC) or more informally as simply the 'N' program, this top secret command will commission elite operatives to deal with problems no other military unit can handle, giving them unlimited resources to accomplish their goals. The initial group of candidates will be ready for deployment no later than the beginning of 2090.

February 14, 2089

Researches from Mars Central University announce the creation of a new method of antimatter production. Known as flavor changing, this new technique utilizes a prototype teleportation system to disassemble matter and then, molecule by molecule, reassemble it with an inverse charge and spin. While less efficient by itself compared to the more common method of harvesting antimatter from positronic lightning or the Van Allen Belt of a planet; when multiple production lines are setup in parallel the new technique proves drastically more cost effective while also offering a higher quality product and a safer work environment.

April 6, 2091

The first stage of the Mars terraforming project is completed. Mars is now home to a breathable atmosphere with a near identical composition to that of Earth save for drastically higher levels of greenhouse gases present due to the planet's distance from Sol. Efforts to introduce plant life to the planet are proceeding apace with nearly forty percent of the planet's non-submerged land mass having been processed to include the proper microbial life forms necessary to support terrestrial plant life. In addition both magnetic field generators at the poles have been completed, providing the planet with a magnetic field for the first time in eons.

May 16, 2091

The Friedan Union begins a massive military campaign against its neighboring systems. The Alliance Navy, while able to defend most of the larger colonies and strategic outposts, is unable to prevent the conquest of more than three dozen smaller outposts and eighteen colonies across twenty six star systems over the next three months.

June 17, 2091

The first wave of SAEFC operatives successfully infiltrate the Union. Almost immediately the operatives prove their worth, providing critical intelligence. Confirmation of the atrocities being committed by the Friedens galvanizes the Alliance government and proves to be just what is needed for Parliament to authorize a new war footing, allowing a drastic increase in military spending. In addition the SAEFC operatives are successful in setting up an underground railroad for augmented persons to escape the Frieden purges.

October 17, 2093

Having conquered thirty six star systems across the fringes of Alliance space, the Friedens grow bolder, attacking the Alliance naval fleet node at Norfolk Colony. Unknown to the Friedens, Norfolk was playing host to a series of vessels equipped with prototype mass effect enhanced plasma cannons. The ensuing battle proves the sheer destructiveness of the new weapons which combine the thermal, electromagnetic and radiological potentials of a plasma weapon with the sheer kinetic force of a mass accelerator. After nearly two hours, the Friedan forces retreat from the battle, leaving nearly thirty destroyed or damaged vessels behind for only six Alliance warship casualties.

December 14, 2093

With the attack at Norfolk repelled, the Systems Alliance attempts once again to open peace negotiations with the Templar led Frieden Union. The diplomatic transport SSV Crystal Dove departs Norfolk for Neu Berlin carrying a delegation from the State Department and broadcasting a diplomatic IFF. All contact with the transport is lost five days into transit. Alliance Intelligence believes the transport was destroyed by a special paramilitary unit under direct Templar control. While several other diplomatic entreaties are made over the next six months, all are ignored by the Friedens; sundering any thoughts of a negotiated settlement.

2094

While the Friedens make several probing attacks on the Alliance, there are no further attacks on Alliance worlds. Both sides begin a military buildup along the border and settle in for a long cold war.

February 7, 2096

The first of the Alliance Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers enters service. The new warship, the first of the fourth generation warship designs incorporates advancements in weapons technology, most notably the newly developed mass effect plasma bolters. At almost seven hundred meters in length and capable of carrying a full wing of fighters and several times that in unmanned combat microships, the Ticonderoga will become the backbone of the Alliance Navy and the nightmare of many Frieden captains for years to come.

August 27, 2098

With the success of the Ticonderoga and the rising threat of the Friedens, the Alliance Navy commissions its first dreadnought, the SSV Kirov. Two and a half kilometers in length and built around the most powerful mass accelerator cannon ever developed, the Kirov and her sisters will become a bulwark against the Frieden Navy. The Kirov-class is followed by the launch of numerous other fourth generation warships such as the Intrepid-class frigate, the Turbulent-class destroyer, the Acropolis-class strike carrier, the Ikazuchi-class battleship and the Kitty Hawk-class fleet carrier.

January 1, 2100

The population of the Local Cluster, counting both organics and synthetics is estimated to be over one hundred billion. Advances in medical science have almost completely eliminated disease and with the easing of traditional limitations on population growth such as the availability of foot, water and shelter, the human race is quickly expanding across the stars. The further popularization of artificial wombs, rejuvenation treatments and tax subsidies for large families has led to a sustained annual growth rate of almost 3.2% and the average lifespan sits at approximately 138 years.

2101

Seeing the Frieden Union's independence as an opportunity, twenty seven other colonies secede from the Alliance. Many of these are so-called 'stepback' colonies, places where people can return to an era before technology became so pervasive. The Alliance Parliament agrees to allow these colonies to leave but make clear that any threats to Alliance security will not be tolerated. Nineteen of the seceding colonies sign the Montreal Accords, limiting the number of capital class warships they can field and allowing the Alliance to setup military facilities in their systems in times of war in exchange for continuing Alliance military protection, humanitarian aid and trade ties.

October 18, 2102

A disagreement between an Alliance patrol vessel and its Friedan counterpart along the border escalates into one of the largest naval engagements yet seen between the two powers. Over a hundred warships on both sides are either crippled or destroyed in the ensuring firefight. The battle ends with a Frieden retreat as the technological superiority of the Alliance allows them to engage at greater range and with greater force. In response to the battle, the Frieden Union officially declares war on the Systems Alliance.

October 23, 2102

While an official declaration of war surprised the Alliance, almost a decade of preparation meant they were more than ready. Over the next three months, nineteen separate engagements would be fought between Alliance and Union forces, all but six of which would result in Alliance victories.

February 3, 2103

The Alliance launches Operation Overlord. Seven task groups of the Alliance Third Fleet strike Frieden forces near the colony of New Marseille. Forcing a breakthrough, the Alliance besieges the colony's orbital defenses, achieving orbital supremacy on day sixteen of the operation.

February 23, 2103

Having gained control of the local space, the Alliance begins landing operations on the small world. Attempts by local Frieden forces to enact scorched earth protocols are unsuccessful as SAEFC operatives are successful in disabling all twenty-seven nuclear charges emplaced in population centers across the planet of fifty-nine million.

April 7, 2103

After almost fourteen months of fighting the last of the Frieden forces on New Marseille surrender. The final casualty figures are nearly five hundred thousand Frieden, ninety-eight thousand Alliance and nearly nine hundred thousand civilian, mostly killed by retreating Frieden forces.

August 2103

Alliance Forces besiege the Denver System. The system is home to a minor colony of sixteen million and three mining outposts, one of which is supplying uranium to the Friedens; a vital strategic resource and therefore heavily guarded. The ensuing battle will last for the next twenty six months and will result in more than one point six million casualties.

December 18, 2103

Friedan forces attack the Alliance colony of Achilles in the Sigma 23 system. Unprepared for the attack, the colony is overrun and destroyed. Of the population of twelve million, less than three hundred thousand will live to see the planet's liberation four months later.

March 15, 2104

Cerberus units capture a secret Frieden bioweapons facility in the Devon system. Among the most concerning projects found is the development of a programmable radioactive biogenic agent. Samples of the projects are taken and its database is copied before the facility is destroyed. Frieden forces tasked to investigate the outpost's silence arrive six days later to find it destroyed with no survivors.

November 9, 2104

Alliance forces attack the Sigma 47 system. While there are no colonies present, several mining outposts are present that provide the Frieden forces with titanium and iridium, both of which are critical in warship construction. The Alliance commander gives the miners two hours to evacuate and then orders the destruction of all facilities.

March 12, 2105

After a five month calm that saw only minor engagements, the Alliance launches an attack on the Yorkshire system, home to New Leeds colony. With a population of almost eight hundred million, New Leeds is the fourth largest colony in the Frieden Union and as such is heavily defended. It will take the Alliance nearly four months before achieving control of the planet's orbit.

August 13, 2105

Having finally secured the Yorkshire system, the Alliance forces begin landing operations. These come to a halt with the destruction of the troopship SSV Richard D. Winters outside the city of Elizabeth. SAEFC operatives had been unsuccessful in deactivating the nuclear device in the city and the detonation incinerated the population and landing forces. Final casualty numbers were estimated at nearly one point two million.

August 19, 2105

Following the Elizabeth Massacre, landing operations resume. While no further scorched earth detonations will take place, the liberation of New Leeds would take nearly three years and cost almost ten million lives.

March 2106 – July 2107

With Alliance Forces focused on the liberation of New Leeds, Frieden High Command began a series of raiding attacks on Alliance border worlds. These attacks are designed to keep the Alliance off balance while Union forces undergo repairs and new warships are commissioned.

July 28, 2107

A fleet of nearly two hundred Frieden warships launches a counterattack on the Alliance forces stationed in the Yorkshire System. After almost three days of continuous engagement, the outnumbered and exhausted Alliance Naval forces are forced to retreat, ceding orbital supremacy to the Union. Evacuations of Alliance Forces are conducted as quickly as possible but nearly twenty thousand Marines are left stranded on the surface. Knowing they would be vulnerable to orbital bombardment if they stayed in their bases, the forces disband, disappearing into the wilderness or the cities of New Leeds with as much equipment as they can carry; destroying the rest. Over the next year these forces will form the backbone of an insurgency that will make the colony nearly ungovernable.

August 2107

Having been forced back to their beachhead in the Denver system, the Alliance begins planning for their return to New Leeds. As part of this plan, wolf packs of Alliance frigates and destroyers begin launching commerce raiding operations on supplies to Yorkshire and the surrounding systems. Nearly two hundred convoys are engaged and destroyed over the next fourteen months leading to a crippling lack of supplies for the Frieden forces in the region. These actions unfortunately also have the unintended consequence of increasing the suffering of the local populations as food and other vital supplies are seized by the Frieden military.

October 19, 2108

Elements of the Alliance Third, Fourth and Sixth fleets begin a grand offensive against the Yorkshire sector. Nearly six hundred warships including twelve Kirov-class dreadnoughts sweep through the region, capturing twelve star systems and encircling Yorkshire. All Frieden Naval forces in the Yorkshire system are defeated or escape twelve hours after the first engagement.

October 21, 2108

Reinforcements begin landing on New Leeds. By the end of the month nearly two hundred thousand Marines and their equipment will have landed. Facing them are nearly a million Frieden soldiers. Linking up with their comrades left behind almost a year earlier, marine forces begin a systematic sweep of the colony. While there is no official surrender, the last major pocket of resistance is eliminated six months after the landing.

April 13, 2109

A Frieden Special Forces unit infiltrates the Alliance sector command facility on Norfolk Colony. Security is quickly overwhelmed and all command personnel are killed. Local Alliance Marine forces encircle the facility and demand the Frieden's surrender. Realizing there is no way out and having planned for this situation, the infiltrators detonate an antimatter charge killing themselves and destroying the facility.

April 14, 2109

The loss of the Norfolk Sector Command brings the Alliance offensive to a screeching halt. All operations by both the Alliance Navy and Marine Corps are placed on indefinite halt while recovery operations begin.

May 8, 2109

The Friedens take advantage of their strike, invading the Alliance colony of Argon Prime. With a population of nearly twenty million, the colony's defenses were stripped of ships to provide forces for the grand offensive and liberation of New Leeds with the acknowledgement that any counteroffensive could be countered in time to prevent such an invasion. With the loss of Norfolk and the strategic planners therein, no such counter took place.

June 11, 2109

Frieden forces destroy the Alliance mining outposts in the Tau 13 System.

June 23, 2109

Frieden forces capture the Alliance research facility in the Sigma 8 System.

August 11, 2109

After nearly four months, Alliance High Command assigns replacements for the lost commanders at Norfolk. With the facilities on the colony destroyed, the Alliance flag command will operate off the carrier SSV Raymond A. Spruance until such time as a replacement facility can be built.

November 7, 2109

Having finally recovered from the April 13th attack, Alliance Forces launch an attack on the Milan system. While lacking any colonies, Milan is home to a secondary mass relay that leads to a system less than three light years from Neu Berlin. Frieden forces are quick to counter, beginning a standoff that will last until the end of the war.

March 17, 2110

With their main offensive bottled up in the Milan system, elements of the Alliance Second Fleet move to liberate Argon Prime. Outnumbered nearly two-to-one, the Frieden forces choose to fight to the death. Near the end of the battle, the Frieden command ship launches a nuclear missile at the capitol, killing all three million inhabitants and nearly ten thousand Frieden soldiers.

April 12, 2110

The loss of Argon Prime's capitol and the slaughter of the population enrages the Alliance. Elements of the First Fleet, normally assigned to guard the core worlds around Sol are detailed to the front line. Among the best trained and equipped, the newly arrived forces cut a swath through the Frieden forces in the Sicily system. Their victory is tempered by the failure of SAEFC operatives in disabling three of the nuclear devices on Verona Colony. Twelve million people are killed.

September 2110

With the assault on the Milan system stalled, the Alliance begins a separate push against the Sparta System. Far from the front lines, Sparta lies on the edge of both Alliance and Frieden territory, far from the core worlds and Neu Berlin. With little population and minimal strategic resources, Frieden High Command is slow to react to the newly opening front. By the time forces arrive to counter the Alliance assault, the Sparta system had been captured and several nearby outposts destroyed.

October 2110 – July 2112

For nearly two years both Alliance and Frieden forces enter a holding pattern. With the exception of the Milan System, no major battles will take place. The Alliance, burdened with the continuing Frieden insurgency on New Leeds and the garrisoning and fortification of captured territories as well as its own border colonies is beginning to reach its limit. The Friedens are likewise, fighting a war on two fronts and unable to advance.

August 13, 2112

Alliance forces launch a probing attack on the Athens System, a near neighbor of Sparta. The attack proves costly as the Frieden forces employ ships with their own version of the Alliance mass effect plasma bolter. Facing new weapons, Alliance Forces reinforce their lines and prepare for the onslaught of newly armed enemy ships.

November 1, 2112

The predicted enemy offensive fails to materialize. While the occasional Frieden ship armed with advanced weaponry is encountered, there is very little evidence of a wide deployment of new weaponry among Frieden forces.

April 21, 2113

The Alliance command ship in the Milan system is contacted by its Friedan counterpart. While initially suspicious, the Alliance commander of the Milan Theater, Admiral Jason Caldwell is surprised at the proposal of a ceasefire by Fleet Admiral Joseph Olegovich Andropov. Both sides agree to stand down their forces at 1745 Zulu.

April 22, 2113

Under the guns of both fleets, the Alliance Command Dreadnought SSV Midway and the Frieden command carrier FUV Heinrich meet at a point at the exact center of the battlefield. Over the next six hours the two admirals agree to a succession of hostilities. One hour later all Alliance vessels depart the Milan system for New Leeds while all Friedan forces withdraw from Alliance territory.

June 2113

With the war over both sides begin recovery operations. The Friedan Union had lost nearly a quarter of its territory and almost half its military. The Alliance was worse off however, having to care for hundreds of millions of people on the liberated colonies, a significant number of which had lost everything in the fighting. While a ceasefire had been called, insurgents continued to plague the colonies of New Leads, Denver and New Marseille. The final casualty totals are almost one point two million Alliance military and almost one hundred and ten million civilian.

2114

With the war drawing down, resources formerly being spent fighting are returned to peacetime initiatives. The most obvious beneficiary of this reallocation is the Sol terraforming projects. The final components of the Mars and Luna projects are completed and Venus sees the completion of its final sets of atmospheric processors.

April 11, 2115

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology announce the development of graviton projector, a device that can compensate for local gravity conditions as a prelude to a fold event. The first major breakthrough since the development of the fold drive forty years earlier, the new technology promises to drastically expand the flexibility of the fold drive. Combined with advances in universal assembler technology that allow a fold drive to be constructed without labor intensive manufacturing processes, the fold drive begins to significantly threaten the market share of more conventional mass effect FTL drive designs.

January 2, 2116

With Earth's ever growing population, construction of Niven, a small ring world begins at the L3 Lagrangian point. With a diameter of nearly three hundred kilometers and massive enough to have an atmosphere clinging to the interior surface, the new orbital colony will have an internal surface area of roughly seven thousand kilometers squared. Moreover, unlike previous orbital colonies the ring will be nearly a kilometer and a half thick, allowing for between four hundred and four hundred fifty 'underground' levels depending on surface geography. Utilizing state of the art life support systems, Niven will be able to support a population of over two hundred and fifty million; nearly four times that of any previous orbital colony. Construction is scheduled to take four years.

February 12, 2118

The Turing-class explorer SSV Ada Lovelace arrives in system LC-12442. While conducting its initial survey, a large concentration of element zero is detected, leading to the discovery of another mass relay. With almost seventy percent of the local cluster having been surveyed at this point, it is expected that the discovery of this relay will be one of the last. A follow up expedition by the survey vessel SSV Seeker attempts to activate the relay, unsuccessfully. Data acquired from the unresponsive relay provides coordinates for its partner and another Turing-class is diverted to the location. Upon arrival the SSV Gordon Moore reports the system destroyed; its sun having gone supernova an estimated thirty thousand years earlier and taken the partner relay with it.

March 16, 2118

The discovery of an unpaired relay whips the Alliance scientific community into a frenzy. Previous proposals for studies of the relays had always been rejected for fear of damaging the irreplaceable artifacts. The newly discovered relay, already having been named 'Orphan' by the survey teams, neatly got around this problem. Realizing the potential technologies that study of the relay could reveal the Alliance Parliament authorizes a large scale research mission. Sixteen vessels led by the Einstein-class SSV Marie Curie depart for the relay. Follow up plans call for the construction of a permanent research station to further the study. Alliance High Command orders a detachment of warships to lockdown the system.

August 14, 2119

The atmospheric processors on Venus complete their work, having converted the toxic carbon-dioxide atmosphere into a breathable oxygen/nitrogen mixture. While technically habitable, Venus still has a long way to go before it is considered ready for colonization. Soil processing is given top priority due the toxins still present.

November 7, 2120

Alliance weapons researchers finish development of a meson based particle cannon. Extremely bulky and fragile, the new cannon is never the less considered a major breakthrough in particle weaponry. Due to the unique nature of mesons, consisting of a quark/anti-quark pair, a weapon utilizing the artificially generated particles has the potential to be an order of magnitude more powerful than any conventional neutron or proton cannon in service. The prototype weapon is incorporated in the experimental dreadnought SSV Zeus, first of the Kirov II-class.

May 15, 2121

After almost three years of failures, the Orphan Project finally succeeds in breaching the hull of the relay using a series of controlled nanite detonations. First impressions of the interior of the relay seem to confirm that the relays were not constructed by the Protheans; the technology and even internal architecture varying widely from known Prothean designs. This is further confirmed after several tests date the Orphan relay as being more than thirty million years old, far predating the rise of the Prothean Empire or even the evolution of the Prothean species. Researchers begin referring to the relay builders as the 'Progenitors'.

July 23, 2122

The encryption blocking access to Orphan's control network is broken. Analysis of the operating system reveals two distinct sets of programming running at the same time, one on top of the other. The more extensive 'base' operating system responsible for the operation of the relay is discovered to have been subverted by a more advanced, secondary set of code. An experimental simulation of a relay projection without this secondary system shows that the relays are far more powerful and capable than previously thought. Transit drift is cut to nearly nothing, mass limitations are drastically revised upwards and the relays are even able to provide sensor telemetry on the destination coordinates, eliminating the need to 'jump blind'. A question emerges from this discovery: for what purpose were the relays crippled to such a degree?

September 13, 2122

A survey of Orphan's communications array reveals a secondary communications link to an unknown location. Analysis of the relay's coding confirms the link could theoretically allow control of the relay to be overridden from a remote location. Efforts to locate this remote location begin.

December 19, 2122

Decryption of Orphan's command codes is completed, allowing Alliance researchers to access any relay they choose. The New Beijing/Solaris relay pair is modified to utilize only the original operating system as an experiment. The result is a radically increased efficiency of transit. Within four months all twenty six Alliance controlled relay pairs will have been modified to incorporate the improved operating system. In addition all remote access to the modified relays is disabled, preventing a potentially hostile power from crippling the Alliance's transport infrastructure in a time of war.

February 2, 2123

An Alliance patrol vessel and its Frieden counterpart exchange fire along the border in an incident reminiscent of the October 18, 2102 incident that sparked the Frieden War. Fortunately cooler heads prevail on both sides.

April 29, 2123

Realizing the potential control of the relays that is now available to them, the Alliance Government commissions a new organization, the Office of Relay Operations (ORO). Utilizing their own 'masking' software, super-encrypted by some of the finest minds in Alliance space, the new office ensures that only authorized vessels are cleared through the relays. While this initially provokes some protests, especially among the shipping and transport unions, the Alliance alleviates concerns by announcing that the ORO will not begin restricting traffic for five years and that relay clearance will be offered without cost to any legitimately registered vessel. Monitoring operations however begin immediately, leading to a rash of arrests in the border regions.

September 21, 2124

Study of Orphan results in its first major breakthrough. Having deconstructed the relay's communication's array, scientists are able to create the first quantum entanglement communicator. While the prototype is limited compared to the relay's own array, the new technology allows for an instantaneous, lag free and completely secure communications link between two points. Over the next three months the Alliance military will deploy thousands of the communicators aboard its vessels, stations and facilities across Alliance territory. The construction of six secure central hubs are rapidly completed, located on Earth deep beneath Alliance High Command Headquarters in the Pentagon, Wyvern Colony in Alpha Centauri, Solaris Colony in Tau Ceti, Babylon Colony in Epsilon Eridani and on two rogue planetoids located in deep space.

July 9, 2125

A nearly silent coup takes place on Neu Berlin, forcing out the old guard Friedens and replacing them with a new group of radical militarists. Alliance intelligence and Cerberus operatives believe the coup to have taken place with Templar backing. The coup is of great concern to Alliance High Command as it could signal a renewal of hostilities, especially considering that with only a ceasefire between the powers, the war had never officially ended. The new group of generals announce a massive military buildup and begin a fresh propaganda campaign against the Systems Alliance. In response the Alliance begins redeploying forces to the Frieden border and reactivating reserve units.

September 12, 2125

With control over the relay network firmly established, the Alliance government begins a feasibility study on the practicality of relocating a relay to a more advantageous position. The result of this study is the commissioning seven months later of the SSV Mriya, named for one of the largest jet aircraft ever built. The tug, a massive eight kilometer behemoth, is able to dock a mass relay in its cradle-like aft section and then tow it to FTL velocities. The first to be moved is the Alpha-12 relay from the sparsely populated New Canaan system to the far more heavily populated California system six point three light years distant. The process takes more than a month to complete.

November 18, 2125

Frieden forces cross the border near New Leeds, hoping to overwhelm and reclaim the planet. The Alliance is ready having constructed a significant orbital defense grid to guard the planet in addition to the nearly two hundred warships in attendance. Among them is the SSV Zeus which uses its meson cannon to devastating effect, personally destroying twenty six enemy vessels, thirteen of which are of capital weight. With their invasion thwarted the Frieden forces retreat to the outer system and establish a blockage outside of the range of the orbital defenses intended to starve the colony's industrial base of raw materials.

December 12, 2125

Alliance strategic planners are puzzled by the overt and seemingly amateurish maneuver made by the Frieden forces. Their puzzlement comes to an end with the destruction of Achilles colony, finishing off the planet that was devastated in the first war. Analysis from surviving satellites reveals that the Friedens had deployed a massive interplanetary cruise missile carrying nearly two thousand kilograms of antimatter. The explosion, estimated at nearly ninety-six gigatons, not only completely vaporized the colony but also was powerful enough to destabilize the planet's crust, leading to massive tectonic activity.

December 15, 2125

The destruction of a whole planet under Alliance control enrages the military. Nearly a thousand warships flood over the border and strike at almost twenty separate Frieden outpost and colonies. While the Friedens fight for the colonies and several of the outposts; they quickly retreat from others. Following their retreat, almost fifty of their new cruise missiles are deployed, leading to the destruction of two hundred and ninety seven Alliance vessels including three dreadnoughts.

January 2126

Realizing that any offensive against the Friedens will be impossible with the presence of the new cruise missiles, the Alliance calls on the SAEFC to eliminate the problem. Having earned the nickname 'Dragoons' in the first war, the Elite Forces Command operatives begin operations to infiltrate and eliminate these weapons. On the defensive front, Alliance construction vessels begin the mass deployment of anti-missile platforms above every colony within fifteen light years of the Frieden border.

March 14, 2126

With the Alliance hamstrung by their strategic weaponry, the Friedens begin a campaign of raiding against Alliance positions. Attacking and retreating before a proper retaliation can be mounted, the Friedens hope to bleed the Alliance with a thousand cuts. In this they are successful for nearly three months until Alliance forces begin setting ambushes utilizing stealth vessels. These battles will continue to take place for the remainder of the war.

October 4, 2126

Having succeeded in locating the launch point for the Frieden missile attacks, a Dragoon team led by Captain Andrew Williams successfully lands on Antwerp. Over the next three weeks the team will prey on the local defenders; ambushing patrols, planting explosives and assassinating command personnel. By the twenty-fifth of the month the local garrison had been sufficiently depleted for an outright assault. More so the defender's moral had hit rock bottom, many of the survivors having come to call the enemy forces the 'grim reapers'. The outpost fell within two hours of engagement.

November 16, 2126

With the Frieden missile base destroyed, Alliance Forces begin a push on the Frieden world of New Sarajevo. Home to nearly six hundred million people, New Sarajevo had replaced New Leeds as the Frieden's fourth most populated world. Of more importance was the presence of a significant naval fleet yard in orbit due to the extreme mineral wealth of the local system. The Friedens however had prepared and the planet was outfitted with a state of the art defense grid, equally a match for anything the Alliance had deployed around their worlds. In addition nearly four hundred warships were tasked to defend the planet. Realizing an outright assault could quickly become a repeat of the Frieden assault on New Leeds in reverse; the Alliance forms a siege line in the outer system and begins bombarding the defenders with long range missiles.

December 2, 2126

With the bombardment of New Sarajevo's defenders entering its third week and with no end in sight, Alliance forces shift tactics. With the presence of mining facilities in the system's asteroid belt feeding the enemy's industry, losses can be made right with disheartening rapidity. Wolf packs of destroyers and frigates begin assaulting the mining operations. While initially successful, they begin running into enemy minefields that turn the asteroid fields into charnel houses. With damage mounting, the Alliance deploys its new Nabaal class mobile shipyards to support the assault fleet, allowing the Alliance to match the Friedens in industrial capacity and ability to replace losses.

February 15, 2127

Having been at a stalemate since November, Alliance High Command realizes that they will need a game changer to win the battle. Given the extreme amounts of point defense weaponry littering New Sarajevo's orbit, a new weapon is deployed to counter it. Based on the ancient Project Excalibur, these new long range missiles are designed specifically to counter enemy point defense. Each missile is equipped with a lasing array, powered by the detonation of a nuclear warhead. With an effective range of nearly eight thousand kilometers, well beyond the range of the Frieden's defensive weaponry, the new missiles prove to be just what the Alliance needed. All enemy orbital defenses are eliminated within six days.

February 21, 2127

With the planetary defenses destroyed, the Alliance forces move in, quickly overwhelming the Frieden defenders. Although the battle lasts nearly two days, the last surviving Frieden ship retreats leaving the Alliance with orbital superiority after nearly five months of continuous battle.

March 7, 2127

The Alliance third, fifth, eighth, twelfth and sixteenth Marine Expeditionary Units arrive at New Sarajevo. With Dragoon operatives having destroyed all scorched earth bombs, the Frieden forces prepare for an orbit to surface assault. They are unprepared when thousands of what at first appear to be meteors raining down from the sky. With the development of the new Tristan powered combat exoskeleton, the Alliance Marine Corps was presented with a whole new way of invading a planet from space. Rather than rely on drop ships to protect their soldiers from reentry, the new armor allowed direct orbital insertion without the need of a shielding vessel. With thousands of heavily armed soldiers falling out of the sky, the Frieden defenders were beset from all sides. This distraction allowed the Alliance to land their troopships nearly unopposed, bringing thousands of armored vehicles, walkers and artillery units. The last Frieden forces surrendered seven weeks later, having been completely overwhelmed.

August 12, 2127

The Alliance launches a liberation of Belfast Colony. With a population of only five million, the Friedens don't consider the planet to be worth defending and present only token opposition. Due to the small size and population, the liberation takes only a few days. As the Alliance forces settle in, they expect Belfast, with its friendly locals and good food to be an extremely pleasant posting.

September 18, 2127

The Alliance begins a second offensive against the Milan system. Due to its strategic importance, High Command strips many outposts of as many ships as possible, including all but a token force above Belfast. Three days after their departure, the orbiting SSV Calgary detects a wide band transmission from an object in the outer system. Analysis of the signal reveals it to be artificial in nature and designed to override local communications systems. Several minutes later the orbiting vessels receive reports of the population of Belfast turning on Alliance Marine forces en mass. With only a single brigade present, the orbiting crews watch helplessly as all five thousand marines are massacred by the people they'd liberated.

September 27, 2127

Reinforcements arrive to help quell the population of Belfast. In the intervening two weeks the local population had begun turning upon itself and surveillance from the orbiting vessels estimate that perhaps only a third of the population remained alive. Upon landing the Marines are assaulted by the crazed locals and are forced to utilize ionic pulse weaponry to subdue them. While designed as a non-lethal crowd control technology, the ionic weaponry is still responsible for the further deaths of almost an additional thousand people. Control is reestablished over the colony after three days.

October 23, 2127

Tests on the colonists find evidence of subtle genetic re-sequencing which in turn was responsible for an alteration of the brain that, when exposed to a specific sub-aural trigger would cause a set of genetically encoded instructions to take over the subject's mind. Coupled with other alterations that increased production of several neurotransmitters tied to aggression and paranoia, the subject would become crazed and attack anyone they'd been programmed to before succumbing to a violent, uncontrollable rage. Study of the signal transmitted revealed the presence of the sub-aural tone. Further testing confirms the population had been exposed to a retrovirus in the water supply shortly before the liberation.

November 7, 2127

News of the new Frieden biogenic weapon is quick to spread throughout the Alliance military. A new variant on the Frieden's more traditional nuclear scorched earth techniques, the virus allowed the Friedens to eliminate the populations of liberated worlds while keeping the local infrastructure intact. Dragoon forces operating behind enemy lines begin investigations into this new weapon in hopes of finding a cure.

November 8, 2127

Due to the presence of the new Frieden weapon, all Alliance plans for the further liberation of Frieden worlds are place on indefinite hold.

November 17, 2127

Cerberus intercepts several communiques from within the Union detailing requests for resupply from an experimental research facility. Covert surveillance reveals the presence of several outposts in the Tigris system. Dragoon operatives infiltrate these facilities and discover them to be hosting several alien artifacts as well as having been responsible for the development of the biogenic virus responsible for the Belfast incident.

November 19, 2127

Seven taskforces of the Alliance third fleet assault the Tigris system, seizing the all facilities in under three hours. Recovered materials show that while the virus, codenamed Helios, had been developed at the facility; no cure had been developed. Furthermore the virus had been designed to be easily customized with minimal difficulty, allowing local Frieden forces to tailor it to local conditions and then deploy it in any number of convenient ways. All research as well as the alien artifacts are seized by Cerberus for further study and the facility is destroyed.

December 12, 2127

Research into the virus has revealed an Achilles heel. If Alliance forces can prevent the activation trigger from being deployed, the genetic modifications will naturally be purged by the subject's immune system within four years. Furthermore, updates are issued to all Alliance citizens' nanite boosters that render them immune to the Frieden weapon.

January 2, 2128

With a potential countermeasure for the Helios virus in hand, Alliance forces resume liberation operations, attacking the Frieden held Prague system. Home to the colony of Brno, population twenty seven million, Alliance forces overwhelm Frieden spaceborne defenses within seven days of contact. Prior to beginning landing operations, Alliance support vessels deploy a series of electronic warfare satellites that begin broad spectrum jamming of all non-Alliance frequencies.

January 23, 2128

Alliance forces successfully liberate Brno colony. As expected, a high power transmission is intercepted two days later, originating from the outer system. Unlike at Belfast the orbiting satellites are successful in jamming the transmission. Alliance forces move quickly to locate and destroy the transmission source.

February 2128

The Alliance begins a grand offensive aimed at finally ending the threat of the Frieden Union. Over the next three months Alliance forces will liberate more than two dozen worlds across fourteen systems. Aided by the recently deployed fifth generation warships, the Friedens, still struggling to bring themselves up to fourth generation standards, will be nearly helpless against more than three thousand vessels participating in the Alliance offensive.

May 12, 2128

Alliance forces begin closing in on the core Frieden territories. Having seen their military decimated by the Alliance, the Frieden Union draws a line in the sand. As Alliance forces close in on the world of New Stuttgart, they are horrified by the simultaneous detonations of all forty-nine scorched earth bombs present on the planet. Initial casualty projections show that almost all of the planet's population of two hundred and ninety six million had been caught in the blast. Furthermore the Friedens had augmented their normally clean nukes with jackets of cobalt, radically increasing the amount of radiation present in the fallout.

May 15, 2128

Having made their point, the Frieden Union announces that they will repeat the actions taken on New Stuttgart at the first sign of further Alliance aggression. While the atrocities that Friedens are willing to commit appall the Alliance public, they also prove to be very effective. All further military actions against the Union are placed on an indefinite hold, effectively bringing the Second Frieden War to an end.

2129

Draw down in the aftermath of the war proves difficult for many in the Alliance. Unlike the relatively peaceful ending of the first war, the second war left a bitter taste. Support for the military remains at an all-time high and relief aid continues to flood into the former Frieden territories.

March 12, 2130

The SSV Ada Lovelace makes its second major discovery. Having entered the LC-19881 system, the explorer discovers an element zero concentration in the upper atmosphere of the system's seventh planet, a super-Jovian gas giant. Atmospheric probes reveal the presence of a large, heavily damaged alien vessel. Cerberus dispatches a research team to make an initial survey of the derelict.

March 17, 2130

Having arrived in the LC-19881 system, the Cerberus team proceeds to enter the planet's atmosphere and dock with the alien ship. Fifteen hours into the mission all contact is lost with the research team.

March 19, 2130

A second Cerberus team enters the LC-19881 system with the intention of find out what happened to the initial expedition. As they approach the alien vessel they note the expedition's transport had suffered extensive damage to its drive systems. As they prepare to dock they receive a transmission from one of the junior expedition members, Doctor Robert Savage, informing them of a biological outbreak among the expedition. Shortly thereafter an escape pod launches from the transport followed by the vessel disengaging from the derelict and destroying itself.

March 21, 2130

Having recovered the escape pod, the Cerberus rescue team is unsurprised to find the occupant was Savage. While injured, he shows no signs of biological contamination. After regaining consciousness the survivor was quick to inform the rescue team of what happened. Evidently the alien vessel had released some sort of nanites that proceeded to infest the expedition members, turning them against each other and in several cases growing cybernetics within their bodies. Savage, having been given an experimental set of nanites as a child, was apparently able to fend off the vessel's attempts to take control of him. The similarities between the alien vessel's defenses and the Helios virus leave many within Cerberus uneasy. The Alliance officially declares LC-19881 under indefinite quarantine.

June 13, 2130

Having setup a research outpost near the alien vessel, Cerberus begins investigations into the wreck using remote drones. While the work is slow they soon learn that the vessel was crippled by a direct strike from a mass accelerator of some power, roughly coinciding with the collapse of the Prothean Empire. This leads them to believe that this vessel was in some way involved in that collapse. Furthermore the materials the derelict is constructed from is remarkably similar to the artifacts discovered in the Frieden research facility in the Tigris system three years earlier.

April 17, 2131

Continuing research into the Orphan relay leads to the development of the first dark energy reactor. Having determined that the relays derive their massive energy reserves from converting scalar dark energy fields, specifically quintessence type fields, into normal energy, the new reactor design proves to be a major improvement over even the most sophisticated antimatter reactor designs. What's more the new reactors can be directly integrated into a conventional mass effect core, which manipulate constant dark energy fields to in turn manipulate gravity, allowing the already versatile devices to actually serve a dual purpose as the a ship's primary energy source and mass effect field generator.

September 14, 2132

United North American Robotics announces the development of a distributed sensor system. While several theories exist in regards to the development of a transluminal sensor system, no working prototype had yet been developed. By dispersing millions of tiny, FTL capable drones into a battle space, the new system bypasses the speed of light limitations of modern sensor systems by having a sensor platform every thousand or so kilometers, transmitting their near real-time telemetry to allied vessels using point to point FTL communications links. While the system is extremely resource and energy intensive, it dovetails nicely with the development of dark energy reactors that can easily provide the required energy.

August 28, 2133

The deep space explorer SSV Konrad Zuse enters the LC-34992 system, one of the last unexplored systems in the local cluster. While surveying the outer system the vessel discovers a massive concentration of element zero inside one of the moons of the systems sixth planet. A follow up expedition by the SSV James Cook unearths a mass relay of unprecedented size. At almost twenty-five kilometers in length the relay is two and a half times the length of any previously discovered relay. A military expedition is dispatched to the system to escort the Cook as she reactivates the relay. After an unusually long transit, the expedition discovers itself to be in the distant Attican Traverse. Realizing the potential of what they'd found, the Alliance Navy dispatches a fully battle group to secure both sides of the relay. The system on the local side is named Threshold while the Traverse side system is named Reach. The relay pair is collectively known as the Gateway.

January 12, 2134

The first mobile long duration colony ship is commissioned. The SSV Avalon, measuring at forty-eight kilometers in length is composed primarily of two massive biodomes separated by a five hundred meter thick base containing engineering and docking facilities. Equipped with two massive armored shells that can close over the transparent biodomes during an attack, the Avalon class is designed to be able to support a population of almost forty million for extended periods, making it a perfect platform to operate off of during the increasing number of multi-year long terraforming projects dotting Alliance space.

November 3, 2134

Having established a firm presence in the Reach system, Alliance explorers begin surveying the newly named Exodus cluster. Several surrounding systems are discovered to contain habitable planets. The Alliance selects eight planets and moons across five systems for immediate colonization: New Alexandria, Circumference, Tribute, Eden Prime, Terra Nova, Shanxi, Elysium and Mindoir. All eight planets are located either within the Reach system or in systems no more than five light years distant, allowing Alliance fleet assets to respond to any potential hostilities, human or alien, with minimal delay.

January 15, 2135

Initial surveys of the planet Eden Prime in the Utopia system reveal the presence of extensive Prothean ruins beneath the surface. All colonization efforts in the immediate area are placed on indefinite hold as the ruins are excavated.

February 27, 2135

The first major find of the Eden Prime dig is revealed: an intact Prothean communications node. While heavily damaged, this device is hoped to contain valuable technical and historical information. The artifact is secured and transported up to facilities on the newly arrived SSV Avalon.

April 12, 2135

The Orphan project announces its latest discovery. Having studied how the mass relays can project objects as such extreme velocities in a safe manner, researchers have discovered that the relays employ a form of molecular vibration phase shifting to allow transiting objects to pass through hazards ranging from space dust to entire planets and stars without danger. Implementation of this technique into conventional FTL drives promises drastically increased FTL speeds.

July 24, 2135

The Eden Prime excavation uncovers the remains of an underground bunker. Evidence of damage caused by small arms fire, surface bombardment and a neutron purge shows the bunker was heavily contested and dating shows the bunker was built just years before the estimated collapse of the Prothean Empire.

July 26, 2135

Further exploration of the bunker uncovers several intact and operational stasis pods. These pods are transported to the Avalon as they are discovered for further study in the hopes of reviving their occupants.

August 4, 2135

As the bunker is cleared of debris and new passageways are opened, an access point to an even deeper series of reinforced caverns is discovered. Unlike the upper facility, the lower levels are nearly pristine. Tens of thousands of intact and operational stasis pods are discovered.

August 17, 2135

The excavation of the Eden Prime bunker is completed. In total sixty-eight thousand, nine hundred and eighty one operation stasis pods had been recovered out of an estimated total of one hundred thousand. Data recovered from the bunker's computers indicate the facility was a last ditch attempt by the Protheans to outlast invading forces, known as 'Reapers', that had been destroying their empire for almost two hundred years. While the upper levels contained pods for twenty thousand soldiers, the lower levels were designed to preserve civilians in the hope of restarting the Prothean Empire in the wake of the Reaper's retreat from Prothean territory.

September 7, 2135

Alliance scientists revive the highest ranking Prothean. After a short period of confusion, he manages to connect telepathically with one of the researchers, subsequently gaining a working knowledge of English. Identifying himself as Javik, the Prothean is surprised to learn that nearly seventy thousand of his people had survived both the attack and the intervening fifty thousand years.

September 18, 2135

Following his awakening and the stabilization of his condition, Javik reveals what he knows of the Reapers to the Alliance. Cerberus operatives present during the debriefing show him images of the vessel that had nearly exterminated their expedition five years earlier. Javik confirms that the vessel is a Reaper, sparking renewed interest in the derelict. He also reveals that the Reapers return to the galaxy to harvest or destroy all life every fifty thousand years.

October 2135

The intelligence revealed by Javik sends the Alliance government and military into a panic. With knowledge of the imposing deadline, estimated to be only decades distant, the threat of the Reapers is considered to be of the highest order. Plans to greatly expand the Alliance Navy and Marine Corps begin taking form and interest in the derelict Reaper under Cerberus control explodes.

January 12, 2136

The explorer SSV Gordon Welchman discovers the former Prothean world of Feros. A follow up expedition to the ecumenopolis reveals evidence of activity on the surface within the last five years. The expedition deploys a series of stealth satellites in orbit. Over the next year, thirty seven unidentified alien vessels are recorded entering orbit or landing on the planet. All data on these alien vessels is classified at the highest levels.

March 5, 2136

After years of study, Alliance researchers complete construction of the first human built mass relay pair. While limited compared to even a secondary relay, the relay proves successful at transporting a test drone over a distance of thirty five light years. This prompts interest in using the new relay designs to establish tertiary links within Alliance space which, along with the strategically placed secondary relays, could allow vessels to traverse Alliance space with only minimal use of either FTL or fold drives. By the end of the year almost twenty of these relay pairs will have been built.

May 18, 2136

After almost a year of work, the last Protheans are awakened from stasis. With a total population of less than seventy thousand and with their military forces consisting of only three hundred and ninety one warriors, the Protheans are given colonization rights on Eden Prime and join the Alliance as the Prothean Protectorate.

March 16, 2137

Experiments on the Reaper derelict reveal the hull to be made of a material very similar to the shell of a mass relay. Given the difficulty in accessing the innards of the Orphan relay, research focuses on ways to deploy nanite weaponry in combat situations. Development of nanite warheads for missiles and torpedoes as well as nanite 'paint' rounds for mass accelerators prove successful in breeching recovered samples of Reaper hull material.

May 18, 2137

The CSV Specter, a Cerberus scout stationed in the Theseus system monitors the arrival of an alien warship over Feros. Having received orders to shadow the alien vessel, the Specter follows the vessel under stealth for the next seven months. Having completed what appears to be a patrol circuit, the alien vessel arrives at a planet with an ammonia based atmosphere and a moderate amount of orbital infrastructure.

December 21, 2137

Surveillance of the alien world reveals a large colony on the surface. While it was initially assumed that the vessel belonged to the race inhabiting the planet, identified later as the Volus; further observations reveal the vessel as belonging to another race, the Turians. Covert infiltration of the planetary communications grid provided information on the client relationship the Volus share with the Turians and on the state of the galaxy beyond the Traverse. Especially interesting to Cerberus is references to a 'Citadel Council' headquartered on a massive space station, apparently of Prothean manufacture.

January 12, 2138

Javik, having assumed a post within Cerberus as an advisor on the Reapers, is informed of the discovery of the Citadel. He confirms the Citadel as being the former center of Prothean government and reveals its true purpose as a trap set by the Reapers to ensnare the galaxy's races.

January 20, 2138

Cerberus begins a program of covert long duration exploration and surveillance of Citadel Council space and the antagonistic Terminus Systems.

April 12, 2138

Researchers at Wyvern Central University announce a breakthrough in particle physics: the development of a tachyon accelerator. While extremely crude in design and with the potential causality and radiological side effects still unknown, uses for the device are already apparent. Proposals for the development of a tachyon array to act as a transluminal sensor system attract significant military interest.

June 3, 2139

Experiments into new applications of space folding technology yield results. Researchers at the Michigan Institute of Technology demonstrate Project Black Gate, the first fold based teleportation system. While impractical for deployment aboard spacecraft due to size and energy requirements, dangerous to organic material and limited in range, the technology attracts interest as an alternative to traditional space-lift technologies. The first fixed-link surface to orbit teleportation facility opens three months later in New York City, offering hyper-rapid transport of non-organic cargo into low earth orbit.

January 19, 2140

With the population of the Earth Sphere passing forty billion, construction of Halo, a planetary geosynchronous ring world begins around Earth. Publically advertised as the ultimate solution of the over population of Earth, the project receives criticism as being dangerous and overly ambitious. While the Alliance acknowledges these concerns, the project continues apace. Within the Alliance government Project Halo has a different purpose. With the impending threat of the Reapers, Halo is designed to be the foundation of a massive planetary defense system and the projector of a planetary shield. The project will consist of the geosynchronous ring two hundred and fifty kilometers wide and fifteen thick connected to the earth by eight orbital tether 'pillars'. A secondary ring will exist at half geosynchronous orbit consisting of a hollow torus containing a counter spinning magnetic super fluid to stabilize the system. Finally a third ring will be buried ten kilometers beneath Earth's surface and will serve as an anchoring point for the whole construct. The project is scheduled to be completed no later than the beginning of the twenty-third century while the planetary shield grid will be operational by 2180.

June 18, 2141

With the Alliance ramping up for the construction of Halo, the transition to sixth-generation warship designs and a major expansion of other military assets such as orbital defense grids and sector command starbases; the demand on the existing Alliance resourcing infrastructure is estimated to increase by at least two orders of magnitude by 2150. Helgen Mining, one of the leading resource providers in the Alliance announces the development of the first gravitic particle mining station. Designed for use over mineral rich worlds where conventional mining techniques are not practical, these stations use a stream of both mass effect fields and graviton particles to lift matter from the surface of a planet. Initial designs prove able to do this at a rate of almost eight hundred kilograms per minute and combined with sophisticated spectrographic and mineralogical scanners can lock onto and strip lodes of valuable minerals in hours, shunting them to the attached refinery modules for purification.

March 7, 2141

Project Orphan announces the creation a new alloy called mithril. Based on the super alloy used in the construction of the Progenitor mass relays, the new alloy is almost a thousand times stronger than titanium and fifty times harder than diamond. When used in an ablative matrix, mithril based armor proves capable of surviving extreme thermal, kinetic, electromagnetic and radiological damage with ease, far above and beyond any existing armor.

October 28, 2141

Weapon researchers successfully test a prototype transluminal mass accelerator. The weapon successfully fires a one hundred fifty-five millimeter round at five times the speed of light, destroying a Phobos sized asteroid in the Mars belt in one hit.

September 23, 2142

Following the lead of Helgen, Kawasaki Space Industries announces the construction of the first Ishimura-class planet cracker. At nearly ten kilometers in length and equipped with one of the largest mass effect cores ever developed, the massive mining vessel will be able to lift whole chunks out of planets into orbit for refining. In addition its mass effect core will be able to drastically increase the vessel's overall mass, allowing it to potentially pull small satellites out of orbit. A run of five of these vessels is scheduled to be completed by 2148, providing the massive amounts of raw materials for the Halo project.

February 6, 2143

Alliance Intelligence reports the Frieden Union has completed the first phase of its post-war reconstruction. Estimates place its military strength at approximately fifteen hundred vessels that fall roughly half way between fourth and fifth generation Alliance designs. However despite their numbers, only two hundred of those are believed to be of capital weight. Given the upcoming transition to sixth generation warships and the so-called ten thousand ship navy scheduled to be completed by 2160, Alliance High Command does not place the likelihood of a Third Frieden War as imminent.

April 24, 2143

Researchers from Peking University demonstrate a new application of space folding technology. Utilizing a modified fold drive, the researchers demonstrate the first Linear Defense Array design, a system that folds incoming fire through a vessel instead of intercepting, deflecting or absorbing it. While impractical for implementation on current fold drives, the new technique is incorporated into the drives of sixth generation warships.

June 1, 2143

The Alliance completes construction of its three hundredth tertiary relay pair. While most military and passenger vessels have switched to using fold drives for long distance travel, the relay network proves to be a vital link for resource transport throughout Alliance in much the same way as the continental railways of pre-spaceflight Earth. With Project Halo in its third year, nearly one hundred fifteen billion metric tons of raw materials have been shipped through the relay network to the hungry nano-foundries orbiting Luna supplying the construction of Halo's superstructure.

October 14, 2143

The Venus terraforming project announces that it has completed soil purification and enrichment. Groundbreaking for the colonization of Venus is scheduled for November 1.

March 1, 2144

Expansion of the Utopia Planitia, Arcturus and Tau Ceti Fleet Yards is completed in preparation for beginning of sixth-generation construction. Nearly four thousand construction slips will be available between the three yards however only a quarter of those will be in use during peacetime construction.

January 1, 2145

Utopia Planitia officially begins laying down the first warship of the sixth-generation fleet. The vessel, the SSV Dauntless, will be the first of the Dauntless-class battlecruisers and will be joined by one hundred and seventy four sister ships by 2160.

April 12, 2145

Cerberus scouts finish their survey of Council space. Plans for first contact with the Citadel Council, the Terminus Powers and the Quarian Migrant Fleet begin development while contingency plans for contact or conflict with the Council, Terminus Powers and Geth are drawn up by Alliance High Command. In preparation an official, public exploration of the Attican Traverse begins.

February 1, 2146

The Alliance Second Fleet officially moves its headquarters to New Alexandria in the Reach system.

July 6, 2146

Construction of the superdreadnought SSV Yamato is completed. The first in her class, the Yamato is to date the single largest warship ever built at six kilometers in length. She will be joined by fifteen more of her class by 2160.

October 11, 2146

Construction of the SSV Apollo is completed. The fleet monitor supplants the Yamato as the largest warship in service at fifteen kilometers in length. Designed as an artillery platform, the Apollo will be joined by five more of her class, the SSV Sputnik, SSV Mercury, SSV Gemini, SSV Soyuz and SSV Enterprise by 2160.

January 12, 2147

Construction of the SSV Terra is completed. The largest planned class of the sixth-generation designs at twenty-six kilometers, the Terra is designated as a mothership. Unlike her super-capital class brethren, the Terra-class mothership is lacking in offensive weaponry. She makes up for it with an extensive defense grid and massive amount of internal docking space, capable of carrying hundreds of thousands of fighters and millions of drones as well a massive central dock capable of accepting almost any other warship in service. Designed to serve as a mobile starbase and fleet yard, the Terra and her sisters, the SSV Luna and SSV Mars will have a crew capacity of almost one and a half million.

July 2147

A wave of independent colonization begins in the Attican Traverse. Ninety seven colonies will be founded over the next two years in the region surrounding the Alliance's Traverse colonies. Bound by the Montreal Accords, the Alliance will remain responsible for the safety of these colonies. Prominent among them is the world of Horizon which will see almost two hundred thousand settle on in by the end of 2148.

April 1, 2148

Cerberus, in one if it's extremely rare public announcements, announces the collapse of a Frieden spy ring on the Alliance core worlds. Consisting of almost twenty seven thousand people, the ring was the largest such operation in history.

July 23, 2148

Alliance Intelligence intercepts a coded message from Frieden space. The contents hint of contact between the Frieden Union and several entities within the Terminus Systems.

August 8, 2148

Cerberus tasks several covert units for increased surveillance of major Terminus star ports in an effort to verify the veracity of the July 23 communique.

November 13, 2149

During a surveillance mission of the Terminus station of Omega, the CSV Scythe experiences a momentary malfunction in its power systems. While only visible for seven point eight seconds, the vessel catches the attention of a nearby Salarian STG intelligence drone.

November 18, 2149

With the exposure of the Scythe, Cerberus begins recalling assets from the Terminus systems for fear of further exposure. While this incident had been the most severe, several others over the years demonstrated the need for more caution when operating in alien space.

April 2, 2150

Cerberus intelligence drones in the Serpent Nebula monitor the arrival of an officially flagged STG vessel above and beyond the normal traffic. This is tagged by the operatives monitoring the Citadel as unusual as very rarely has the STG been seen operating in the open.

April 3, 2150

Cerberus activates one of their operatives living on the Citadel. Having been genetically altered to appear Asari and inserted aboard seven years earlier using forged credentials, the operative had become a member of Citadel Security and been assigned to guard the Presidium Tower sixteen months earlier. Surveillance equipment placed in the council meeting rooms allow Cerberus to monitor a meeting between the STG delegation and the Citadel Council outlining the discovery of a new race covertly observing Omega as well as several incidents believed to be connected to this new race over the preceding ten years. The council agrees that the STG should increase resources in an effort to discover who and what this new race is and if they pose a threat to Citadel security. In addition several Spectres are assigned to the task to further augment the STG.

April 7, 2150

The news of their discovery by Citadel authorities is not greeted well by members of the Alliance government. Finalization of plans for first contact with the Citadel in and about 2155 is given the highest priority.

July 20, 2150

One of the vessels detailed to the public exploration of the Traverse discovers Feros. The world is immediately claimed by the Alliance for future colonization in hopes of restoring the ecumenopolis to its former glory.

January 27, 2152

The Alliance Exploration Corps vessel SSV Pathfinder arrives in the AT-21345 system.


	2. Chapter One - Opening Salvo

**Chapter One – Opening Salvo**

SSV Pathfinder SNV-17562-A

System AT-21345, Attican Traverse

January 27, 2152

"Your mission is to explore the Attican Traverse as part of the public lead up to first contact." Those had been the words of Admiral Kastanie Drescher as he'd set out three years earlier from New Alexandria. It was a simple mission at first glance but peel back the layers and it was anything but. It was a balancing act, one that Captain James Cochrane wasn't particularly thrilled about. When he'd first been assigned command of the SSV Pathfinder, the twenty-seventh of the Nighthawk-Class stealth reconnaissance frigates built at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, he'd also been let in on one of the biggest secrets in the history of the Systems Alliance.

Aliens were real.

Well of course he'd known that, he'd thought at the time. The discovery of the Prothean survivors on Eden Prime had put that question to rest back in 2135 and before that the discovery of the Mars Archive, the biotics research facility on Skepsis and the mass relays had made it pretty clear that humanity wasn't alone in the galaxy. But he hadn't been prepared for what came next.

There were other aliens out among the stars, races that were far removed from the dead relics and bare handful of refugees that had survived the twilight of their once great empire. Races that he might encounter as he and his crew 'boldly went where almost no one had gone before'; quoting his helmsman. They'd all been briefed on the discovery of alien activity on Feros, on the observations of that first Turian frigate, of their discovery of Patavig, the Citadel, the Terminus systems and everything beyond.

And his orders were to avoid interactions with these aliens if at all possible. First contact was officially scheduled for some time in 2155. These orders weren't absolute of course. Accidents happen and circumstances change. He'd been promoted based on his ability to think a situation through and make a decision based on the information available to him.

Cochrane himself was a veteran of the Second Friedan War that had ended some twenty-four years earlier. He'd caught the tail end of that conflict aboard the SSV Triumphant, an old flight one Ticonderoga-Class cruiser that'd been launched just after the turn of the century and scrapped back in the late 2129. From that conflict he'd learned that nothing was as clear cut as many people, especially politicians, preferred.

Not that they'd encountered anything more controversial in their mission than what to recommend as names the last twenty four star systems they'd surveyed.

Entering the small bridge, Cochrane received the cheerful greetings of his small crew. He'd never stood on ceremony and given he only had eleven people under him, maintaining strict military protocol would've become onerous after the first few days. And it'd been almost eight months since their last layover at New Alexandria.

"Anything of note happen during the night?" he asked his executive officer, who was also his tactical officer.

"Not so much as a stray radiation flux," replied Lieutenant Commander Vladimir Rostov, looking as bored as he probably felt. "At this point I'd kill for a passing asteroid or dust cloud."

"Don't get carried away commander," replied Lieutenant Tyler Wilson at the helm with a grin. "I don't think I could take the excitement."

Cochrane chuckled at that. One of the more trying aspects of their mission was the long periods of boredom during the cruises between stars. Alliance policy for the exploration vessels in the Traverse was to travel from system to system on conventional FTL rather than use fold drives in case there was something to find in the void between systems. While onerous and time consuming, the Alliance had stumbled on some pretty interesting things in deep space, including several dozen rogue planetoids and even a few derelict alien vessels.

"Sir, we're approaching system designate AT-21345," reported Wilson in his stereotypical Brooklyn drawl, a legacy of a youth spent in New York City back on Earth.

"Preliminary readings?"

"Looks like a main sequence G-Type star maybe a few million years younger than Sol," reported his operations officer Ensign Rand LaPierre. "Scans indicate six planets, one of which falls within the goldilocks zone. Two gas giants and three asteroid belts. Looks to be a pretty average system from all appearances. I'll know more once we drop from FTL."

"Alright, well it may be another cookie cutter system but we're still the first to see it," replied Cochrane with a grin. 'Well maybe,' he corrected in his own mind. "Any ideas for a name?"

"I thought the Alliance got to choose the names," commented Rostov.

"Technically they do," replied Wilson, "but in practice, so long as the name isn't too lewd, the discovering ship generally gets to pick. I'm thinking of something Greek."

"If there's anything left," laughed the last member of the bridge crew, Ensign Jessica Takahashi at engineering.

"I believe we could find something ensign," replied Reginald, the Pathfinder's AI as his avatar materialized. "Greek is a very large and robust language."

"Yeah but all that's left are words that probably mean something horrible like crotch monkey," parried Jessica with a grin.

Cochrane shook his head and laughed. Eight months with these people could drive you a little nuts. "Ok people, we can name it later. Everything ready?" While he could've just asked for a status report through his neural lace he still preferred the personal touch. He even read actual paper books, a rarity in this day and age to be sure and one of the reasons his crew though he was an eccentric.

"Weapons safe. Plasma shields, electromagnetic defense field, linear defense array and kinetic barriers are all fully operational. Fire control optimal, electronic warfare running at minimal levels, stealth systems fully engaged," reported Rostov, forwarding the results of his umpteenth diagnostic sweep to his captain over the ship's grid. That's how bored he was.

"Passive and active sensors are fully operational sir," continued LaPierre. "Communications fully operational and our sensor dispensers read a full load and ready for deployment."

"FTL is working a-ok, though if it wasn't we'd probably already know it," said Wilson with a grin. "Fold drive reads full charge, sub-light nacelles one through four are online and maneuvering field projectors report no faults. I could pull a few barrel rolls just to be sure though sir."

"Maybe later," replied Cochrane neutrally, translating to 'not a chance in hell'. "Jessica?"

"The mass effect core completed a full diagnostic a few minutes ago and reported no faults while static buildup is holding at less than one percent of maximum capacity. All but one static-kinetic convertor is operational. Number three-two is down for maintenance at the moment," she replied apologetically. While most of the systems on board were maintained by an array of nanites and maintenance drones while in operation, the convertors had to be shut down due to the extremely unpredictable nature of static electricity and the impact it could have on even hardened electronics. "Dark energy transformers one through eight are online and ready to ramp up to full output if necessary. Secondary reactors are fully operational but on standby. Power distribution grid is optimal as are capacitors and fuel storage cells. Life support is stable and fully operational. We're good from an engineering standpoint."

Turning to the avatar beside him Cochrane continued, "And you Reg?"

"All of my systems are fully operational captain," replied the AI simply. He had never really been comfortable working with organics, preferring the company of his fellow synthetics whenever possible. Still a man had to earn a living, even if he wasn't strictly male.

"Good," replied the captain, knowing that he'd likely not get anything more out of him. Modeled off the personality of a fictional engineer from a vid series in the late twentieth century, Reginald could be neurotic to say the least. Why the infant synth had chosen such an odd personality to base its avatar on he'd never know.

"Dropping from FTL in five," reported Wilson. In the outer part of the nameless system space rippled and distorted for a moment before resuming its previous state. The distortion created by a vessel when crossing the light-speed barrier was something even the best minds in the Alliance hadn't been able to fully eliminate, at least not yet. To get around this problem a vessel under stealth would exit FTL in the outer system where the chance of being observed was minimal. For several minutes the Pathfinder remained motionless, probing the space surrounding it with every passive sensor she had. Satisfied they were alone; the vessel dropped its visual cloaking field and began releasing what to the uninformed eye appeared to be a massive black cloud. Space around the scout seemed to darken for a moment before warping; tens of millions of FTL events distorting the passage of photons from distant stars.

"Sensor swarm deployed," reported LaPierre as a hologram of the star system appeared above their heads. While the Alliance had yet to develop a ship deployable transluminal sensor system, a novel approach to the problem had been created instead. By deploying millions of tiny drones, each no larger than a golf ball, across a volume of space, connected to each other and nearby allied vessels by tight beam FTL communications links, military vessels could receive near real-time sensor data from millions of kilometers away using modern, subluminal sensor technology. The system had only recently been implemented due to the sheer energy and computational requirements and therefore could only be found on the newest warships. Despite that however it had already proven itself a game changer, allowing unprecedented standoff and delivery ranges in combat and in the case of the Pathfinder's mission, allowing them to survey an entire star system in hours where before it would've taken days.

"I wonder if we'll find anything interesting this time," commented Wilson as he began a slow burn towards the inner system.

"We can only hope," replied Rostov with a shrug.

Anything was possible.

* * *

Quarian Scout Ship Venna

Two Hours Later

It was times like this that Rael'Zorah nar Tonbay regretted his bravado. His actions aboard the gunship Yaska had in hindsight been at best foolish and if you asked his friends, outright stupid. Worse his declaration that they wouldn't get in trouble for breaking formation was incredibly naïve; it'd just forced the Admiralty Board to come up with something more creative than usual. So here he and his best friend were, out in the ass end of nowhere, running for their lives and probably about to die.

"I hope you're happy Rael!" shouted Han'Gerral nar Quib-Quib indignantly.

"How was I supposed to know we'd stumble across a bunch of slavers?" replied Rael indignantly. When they had set out Rael had convinced Han that they should try to find a planet rich in natural resources that the Migrant Fleet could tap, far from the known trade routes. It they were really lucky they might even stumble across some Prothean ruins. They'd certainly stumbled across something alright, an entirely new race in fact. Unfortunately they weren't the only ones.

They'd been attracted to the system after picking up faint radio signals and had arrived to find a whole flotilla of Terminus slavers in orbit. One had obviously taken an interest in the Quarian interloper and so for the past three days they'd been running for their lives with an eighty year old surplus Turian frigate on their ass. And while it might have been obsolete by modern standards, the mass accelerator cannon it carried could rip their lightly armored transport to pieces in seconds. Hence their strategy of running away as fast as possible.

"So what are we going to do Rael?" asked Han, his anger having extinguished itself. "We can't keep this up much longer."

That caught Rael's attention. "Oh don't tell me…"

"Yeah, the core is reaching maximum saturation. We have another fifteen minutes at most before it discharges into the hull and fries us to a crisp."

Rael let out a few choice Krogan epithets before turning back to the sensor diagram on his console. "Ok I've got a probable system 0.012 light-years distant bearing 091 mark 012. Nothing in the database but considering we're pretty far beyond charted territory…"

"It's better than nothing. Maybe we'll get lucky and we can find someplace to hide like a gas giant with a powerful magnetic field or something."

"At this point I'd settle for an asteroid with some nice deep craters," replied Rael as he accessed the helm, utterly ignorant of what was waiting for them in the system ahead.

* * *

"FTL event," announced LaPierre, interrupting a conversation about the outcome of the recent Super Bowl. How the Wyvern Dragons had managed to get as far as they had was a mystery everyone agreed. "I have a vessel dropping from FTL in the outer system."

'Oh great,' thought Cochrane. The last time this'd happened he'd had to 'share' a survey mission with a bunch of wannabe stellar cartographers from Tiptree Colony. 'Those were the longest five weeks of my life.' "Any idea who it is this time?"

"No sir," replied LaPierre with a frown. "Silhouette doesn't resemble anything in the book. I'm not reading anything resembling an IFF transponder either."

"Friedens?" asked Rostov with a growl. While they hadn't managed to get through the Gateway relay linking the Local Cluster to the Attican Traverse, there was always the possibility they could've made the trip using fold drives.

"Not unless they've flying something ancient," commented LaPierre with a frown. "According to the preliminary sensor data the contact is powered by what I would have to rate as a class-five fusion reactor. Those haven't been in service since we switched to antimatter spiked fusion in the 2070s. I'm also seeing evidence of a fusion torch and those were abandoned when commercial anti-proton drives took off in the 2080s. I don't think this is one of ours," he continued, meaning of course 'human'.

"One of the alien races we were briefed on?" asked Rostov with interest. Finally something to break the monotony of his life.

"Maybe. Like I said it doesn't match anything in one database but I'm sure we don't have a complete listing of everything the aliens have developed. Either that or it's something someone built in their spare timed and neglected to register."

"I calculate that probability as less than five percent," interjected Reginald. "Even if this was a recreationally built vessel, Alliance law requires the presence of a modern, approved IFF transponder on all vessels. As per the Montreal Accords all independent colonies are required to follow that protocol as well."

This was an interesting development thought Cochrane. While they were to avoid contact if possible, there was nothing preventing him from observing this vessel.

"Engage stealth. We'll monitor them and gather as much information as possible but we're not in a position to make first contact."

"Understood sir," replied his XO, speaking for the crew.

The Pathfinder shimmered, her outline glowing yellow before disappearing from view as her GlassShield mark twenty-six visual cloaking system engaged. Meanwhile her anti-proton thrusters disengaged, the scout relying on only mass effect fields to propel the vessel. While this drastically decreased her acceleration curve it also eliminated the thermal emissions from her otherwise red hot engines. All emissions were cut, only passive sensors remaining active both on the Pathfinder and her sensor drones. It was as close as the small vessel could get to invisible.

"I have another FTL event," whispered LaPierre, unconsciously equating silence with stealth.

"You can speak normally Rand," whispered Cochrane back, a chuckle emanating from the helm.

"Sorry sir," replied the ensign feeling foolish. "It appears to be a warship, frigate weight, looks Turian by its silhouette. Technology appears a bit dated compared to what we have on current designs however. Maybe surplus sold to a private interest or something?"

"Tactical analysis," asked Cochrane, speaking to Rostov.

"Looks like a single spinal mass accelerator cannon," he replied with a raised eye brow. "I'm seeing a spattering of low power laser cannons covering its flanks and what appears to be a torpedo or missile launcher on its bow. Judging by these scans the cannon and launcher were aftermarket additions."

"Definitely a private vessel then. Any markings?"

"None that I can see," replied Rostov with a shrug. "Anyway in regard to the first vessel, it doesn't seem to mount anything but a few low power lasers, probably for defensive purposes only. Definitely a transport or utility vessel. I don't foresee… sir; the second vessel has fired on the first. No signs of counter fire."

"I can confirm that," added LaPierre. "Judging by the thermal readings coming from its engines, that transport is running for its life. The strength of its electromagnetic field probably means its core is almost saturated too."

"Where are they headed?" asked Cochrane.

"Straight towards the fourth planet, one of the gas giants," replied LaPierre.

"I'd say your guess was probably right about its core then," said the captain.

"Sir, should we intercept the warship?" asked Rostov, presenting a choice for the captain to decide upon as a good XO was supposed to.

That brought Cochrane up short. He simply didn't have enough information to make a proper decision and certainly not enough to override his orders.

"Sir, the transport has begun broadcasting a repeating signal across a multitude of frequencies. I'd guess it's a distress call," said LaPierre, interrupting his captain's thoughts.

"In what language?"

LaPierre consulted his data for a moment before replying. "Quarian sir. They claim to be pilgrims from the Migrant Fleet fleeing slavers."

"It'd certainly explain the condition of the warship," commented Rostov with a growl. He hated slavers.

That was the tipping point as far as Cochrane was concerned. The Alliance Navy had always prided itself on answering distress calls regardless of the situation and he wasn't going to break almost a century of tradition. Never mind that if the Quarians were indeed pilgrims and he ignored their distress signal and that somehow got back to the Migrant Fleet; it could sour potential diplomatic relations for years.

"LaPierre, dump our logs to Alliance Command on New Alexandria. Tag it ultra-violet priority and inform them we're engaging in rescue operations of a civilian vessel on my authority. Takahashi, increase reactor output to combat levels. Wilson, plot an intercept with the warship. Rostov, take us to combat alert. We'll try to warn off the warship but if they continue to fire on the Quarian transport or if they fire on us we'll engage to destroy."

* * *

Balor Na'chak was not a happy Batarian. As the leader of one of the largest slaving operations in the Terminus Systems and the captain of his own warship he had become used to things not going according to plan. The discovery of a planet inhabited by a here-to-fore unknown race had at first appearance seemed to be the opportunity of a lifetime. A new source of slaves, especially a new species was bound to make him a fortune. Better yet they were living in the Traverse, well beyond the control of the bloody Council and their Turian lapdogs.

Then a Quarian scout of all things had dropped in and threatened his new business opportunity. It had been going so perfectly. The natives were peaceful, barely any defenses and only a token armed force to defend the whole planet. That they looked so much like Asari, already his most profitable product, was a bonus.

So here he was, chasing these gods-damned suit rats across the galaxy, eating up precious fuel and expendables that were cutting into his profit margins. Like many members of the galactic community, Balor hated Quarians. They were little more than thieves and vagrants; parasites leeching off the rest of the galaxy and always expecting a handout. Their violation of Citadel law when they'd created the Geth was more than enough justification to exterminate their entire race. And then they'd had the gull to expect everyone else to clean up their mess.

'Then again they did make decent engineers,' thought Balor. Maybe taking them alive was worth all this trouble. Quarians made decent slaves. All you had to do was threaten to rip their precious suits and they'd do whatever they're told.

"Report," he snapped at his sensor tech with a menacing growl.

"The Quarian vessel is headed for a gas giant approximately five AU from this system's primary. At their current velocity they'll arrive in roughly twenty-six minutes but we should be able to overtake them before then."

"Excellent," replied the Batarian with a savage grin. "Ready our bucking cables. I want them taken alive!"

"Yes sir," replied the tech, grateful that the captain was turning his attention from him.

"And continue firing on them," Balor continued. "Don't hit them but I want to scare those little bastards into wetting their suits."

A chuckle crossed the bridge at that.

Minutes passed and the distance between the two vessels continued to close. Just as the slaver was closing into cable range, the two vessels were suddenly made aware of a third travelling behind and slightly above the frigate.

"Where in the twelve hells did they come from?" demanded Balor, screaming at sensors.

"I don't know sir," replied the terrified tech, half expecting to be shot.

"YOU DON'T KNOW!" shouted the livid Batarian, his hand drifting down to his sidearm. The sheer incompetence of his men never ceased to amaze him.

The sensor tech forged on, knowing the only way out was through at this point. "It did not appear on any of our sensors until twenty seconds ago sir. There was also no evidence of an FTL event. It just appeared sir and it doesn't resemble anything in our database."

That stopped Balor for a moment. An unidentified vessel appears from out of nowhere just as they were about to capture the Quarians. That screamed Salarian STG or maybe a Spectre; neither of which he wanted to deal with. The former loved to test out its new tech in the Terminus, playing what amounted to practical jokes on the various slavers, pirates and mercenaries that controlled the region. The latter was just as likely to kill everyone in sight for fun. And now one of them had apparently developed working stealth technology and chosen to test it out on him.

What else could possibly go wrong on this mission?

"Analysis?" demanded the Batarian captain.

"The vessel is approximately eighty meters in length. It has what appears to be four anti-proton type engines mounted in nacelles that parallel the vessel. I'm seeing what look like gun ports on its wings but no evidence of a mass accelerator cannon."

"What kind of guns?"

"Unknown," replied the sensor tech with a wince. Seriously, no amount of money was worth working under this egomaniac.

"What do you mean unknown," asked Balor is a deadly calm voice, one that was perhaps more frightening than his livid rage ever was.

"The vessel is generating a field that's blocking most of my scans sir. All I can tell you is that despite its velocity and proximity, we're getting virtually nothing on thermal. Even magnetometric sensors are barely registering anything and despite its small size they should be spiked at this range. LIDAR and RADAR are being absorbed and/or diffracted. Sir I'm practically down to visuals here."

That surprised Balor. Before starting his business he spent some time in the Batarian Armed Forces and knew quite a bit about spacecraft. From the smallest shuttle to the largest dreadnought; heat was the enemy. There were only so many ways to get rid of it and it limited everything you did from maneuvering to shooting. That this vessel was able to keep pace with his vessel and not radiate a noticeable thermal signature signaled a major technological breakthrough, one he'd very much like to get his hands on.

"Sir, the unknown vessel is hailing us," announced his communications tech.

"Ignore them. Gunnery I want a firing solution on our new friend here."

"Sir is this a wise course of action?" asked his second in command, a former Turian naval officer by the name of Erebus Therian. He was perhaps the only person on board who could second guess Balor's orders and expect to live. In fact it was his job.

"They might be advanced Erebus but they're only eighty meters long and don't even have a mass accelerator," replied the captain dismissively. "Even if it is STG or a Spectre; they're no match for us."

"Either could come after us in the future," reminded the Turian patiently. Sometimes his captain didn't think things through well enough.

"Maybe," conceded Balor. "But we're in the middle of nowhere and the only witnesses are those Quarians. And they'll be in chains or dead by the end of the day. On the other hand if we can get our hands on a piece of this new vessel, even in the form of salvage, we might be able to adapt our ships to use this new stealth tech. Think of how easy it'll be to capture ships that don't even know we're there."

"Sir, I have a firing solution but we'll have to get in behind them," reported gunnery.

"Helm, all forward thrusters. Drop us back behind the unknown."

The slaver's forward deceleration thrusters came to life, slashing its velocity in half and allowing the unknown to overshoot. Correcting its course the frigate lined up its cannon for a point blank shot.

"FIRE!"

* * *

To an outsider's perspective the bridge of the Pathfinder was surprisingly calm for a combat situation. The five members were focused on their console, causally reporting information to their captain. They'd all secured their restraints in case of sudden maneuvers and presented the image of overwhelming professionalism.

But this image only told part of the story. With the wide dissemination of mechanical and nano-augmentation technology combined with more than a century of genetic engineering; the barrier between reality the virtual reality had all but disappeared. While the bridge crew may have seemed calm in the real world, in the virtual they were far more animated.

Each officer was maintaining two separate awarenesses, something that would've been inconceivable just a century earlier. At the helm Lieutenant Wilson was seeing the world from dozens of perspectives provided by his eyes, the Pathfinder's sensors and the millions of drones scattered across the system. The meshing of these viewpoints allowed him an unprecedented level of spatial awareness; allowing the young pilot to approach the complicated task of maneuvering a warship through a potential combat zone with complete knowledge of where he, the enemy and everything else was. Nothing would catch him by surprise short of a cloaked vessel entering the fray.

At tactical Rostov was likewise immersed in both worlds. He was already calculating firing solutions, receiving updates on the status of his albeit limited array of weapons, preparing electronic warfare strategies to cripple the enemy's fire control and communications and conferring with Reginald about which of the vast database of cyberwarfare techniques would be best implemented against the alien warship. And all of this took place at the accelerated speed his brain was capable of.

At engineering Ensign Takahashi was immersed in her systems, maintaining a constant over watch of every piece of equipment aboard and making constant tiny adjustments to continuously streamline operations. She noted with a small amount of satisfaction that the maintenance cycle on static-kinetic converter three-two was completed and the component had been placed back into active service. Checking the status of her damage control tools she was satisfied that in the unlikely event they should suffer damage, she could deploy her small engineering team along with her massive array of repair drones and nanite swarms to fix what was broken.

At operations Lieutenant LaPierre was immersed in waves of raw sensor and communications data. Exabytes of readings from passive and active sensors flowed over him; RADAR, LIDAR, OPDAR, thermal, broad spectrum electromagnetic, magnetometric detectors, neutrino detectors, gravitic sensors and dark energy detectors. His job was to take this raw, chaotic data and turn it into a clear picture of the local battle space.

And above it all hovered Captain Cochrane providing direction and bringing organization to what would under other circumstances be chaos. Reports were accepted and orders dispensed at the speed of thought, augmented and further streamlined by the vast processing capacity of the Pathfinders quantum processing core and Reginald's runtimes.

The organization extended beyond the bridge, encompassing the rest of the small crew. Every member became a part of a collective whole, a gestalt consciousness that was far more than the sum of its parts. It was this system, developed during the Second Frieden War by the Alliance Fighter Corps to allow squadrons to operate with seamless precision, which allowed the crew an unparalleled level of efficiency in combat.

{Sir, the enemy has dropped behind us,} reported LaPierre over the link, the thought dispersed to the entire bridge crew in an instant. {Given changing magnetic and dark energy readings coming from the frigate I believe they are preparing to fire their mass accelerator cannon.}

Wilson queried the captain for permission to take evasive maneuvers and received it in milliseconds; the Pathfinder seamlessly rolling to port and evading the firing cone of the frigate's main cannon well before the round left the barrel. For the next twenty two point six seconds the two vessels continued this dance, the few shots from the frigate easily avoided with the grace of a professional dancer. For Wilson this exercise was an almost insulting underuse of his skills. Having been trained to guide a warship through a battle space against multiple warships with independently targetable turrets and guided missiles, dodging fire from a single spinal cannon was child's play.

A muffled roar filled the bridge for a brief second.

{What was that,} asked Cochrane.

{One of their laser cannons,} replied Rostov. {Estimated output is in the fifty megawatt range but duration was only sixty-seven milliseconds. Our plasma shields dropped by one fiftieth of one percent.}

A chuckle crossed the bridge at that. The Pathfinder's compressed plasma shields were rated to shrug off at least four capital grade neutron cannon bursts in rapid succession, each with the equivalent energy of a five hundred kiloton nuclear bomb. A fifty megawatt laser was the space age equivalent of shooting a BB gun at a passing freight train and expecting it to stop.

{I've also jammed their fire control,} reported Rostov, his patronizing tone clear even through the neural link.

{That easy?} replied Cochrane in amusement.

{Yes sir. Their main problem is that we're pumping almost two thirds of their total generating capacity into electronic warfare alone. I doubt they'll be able to get a positive lock on us at anything beyond fifty kilometers.}

"Good," spoke Cochrane in the real world, a feral grin crossing his face. "Wilson, bring us around and prepare to engage."

"Yes sir," replied the Lieutenant, rolling his effortless evasion into a maneuver that brought the Pathfinder to a point directly being the enemy warship.

* * *

In all his years aboard warships, Balor had never seen piloting so fluid and graceful as this new ship's. Its maneuvers reminded him of a fighter, its effortless evasions seemingly mocking his vessel's attempts to land a hit. And its technology was frightening; its shields easily stopping full power shots from his GARDIAN lasers. "Gunnery, what the hell are you doing over there?"

"Sir I cannot achieve target lock. They're using jamming like I've never seen before. I'm relying on visual targeting here."

'Another surprise,' thought the captain. His knowledge of electronic warfare was rusty but he still remembered the fundamentals. Observing the readings coming from the unknown he was surprised at what he saw. The signal strength it was generating was more along the lines of what he'd expect from a dreadnought, not something smaller than most frigates. He was really beginning to doubt this vessel was Salarian. Not even those amphibians were this advanced.

"Sir!"

Balor was brought back to the battle in time to witness a maneuver that was borderline suicidal and completely insane. Cutting its speed, the unknown executed a roll that passed just meters over his own vessel before settling into position directly aft.

The Pathfinder being a frigate was deemed too small to carry a mass accelerator by the Alliance naval design teams. Nor did she have the internal volume available for guided weaponry. Instead she relied on an all energy armament; the cannons easily compact enough to shoehorn into the design. That said she was still a scout and was only minimally armed. At least by Alliance standards.

At four points in her wings, two at the roots and two between the two sets of two engine nacelles her medium plasma bolters began their firing sequences. Energy stored in the main capacitors flowed through the distribution grid, fuelling each weapon's integrated universal assembler which in turn produced a two hundred gram sphere of solid iridium. Mass effect and electromagnetic fields snapped to life around each small mass to contain the coming reaction; static shells that would only last for bare milliseconds after firing. Electromagnetic coils charged, ready to accelerate the projectile as even more energy flowed over the iridium, flashing it into plasma. The containment fields collapsed, compressing the plasmatic masses to densities only found in nature in the core of a star. Finally the electromagnetic coils accelerated the projectile to forty percent the speed of light.

The whole process took 0.16 seconds.

Maintaining a distance of five hundred six kilometers aft of the slaver, the plasma bolts crossed the distance in 0.0042 seconds, slamming into the frigate's barriers with the kinetic force of a small atomic weapon. While not state of the art and far from being in optimal condition, the barriers easily held under the force of the first projectile, shedding only half a percentage point of its total strength. However the kinetic impact was only one part of the weapon. Upon impact the containment field that held the plasma bolt together shattered, releasing both a powerful EMP and the plasma contained within. The EMP further drained the kinetic barriers, knocking another quarter point off while the superheated gas violently expanded, releasing a pulse of gamma radiation and spiking the local temperature by almost ten thousand degrees kelvin. The radiological pulse continued through the barriers, impacting the molecular structure of the protecting armor, weakening it. This was followed by the thermal pulse that heated the weakened armor by almost two thousand degrees in a second, followed by a rapid cooling in the extreme cold of space that caused micro fracturing, further weakening the armor.

Regardless the plating held, at least for the first few rounds. With a firing rate of four rounds per second, the mark eight medium plasma bolter cannons chewed through the frigate with alacrity, weakening its barriers with every shot, not that it mattered. Long before the barriers could collapse the armor had given way to the radiation and heat. Five seconds after the first shot was fired the interior of the slaver was flooded with radiation, giving the crew a quick and merciful death as they flashed to vapor. The frigate, holed in dozens of places began tumbling; small explosions leapfrogging along its hull until with a final heave its main reactor gave way, vaporizing the vessel in a bright flash of light.

The Pathfinder weathered the detonation, its plasma shields shrugging off pulse easily. The same could not be said of the Quarian transport, only eight hundred kilometers distant. Lacking the same sophisticated defenses the transport took the full brunt of the explosion sending it tumbling trailing fire.

{Sir, the transport was heavily damaged in the explosion,} reported LaPierre. {I'm reading a buildup in their fusion reactor. Estimated time to overload is eight minutes.}

{Understood,} replied Cochrane with a grimace. {Rostov grab it with a grav beam and stabilize it. Lieutenant Peterson,} he continued, addressing the senior member of the Pathfinder's tiny Marine compliment, {I'm going to dock the ship to the transport. I want you and Corporal Stone to rescue anybody aboard. Also try and download the ship's database if you can.}

{Yes sir,} replied Peterson from his position in the Pathfinder's small armory, just aft of the main airlock which was in turn just aft of the bridge. With a shrug he turned to his subordinate, disconnecting himself from the gestalt consciousness of the rest of the crew. "Saddle up corporal. We've got us some ETs to rescue," he ordered.

"This for real LT?" asked the young marine as he checked over his weapon. "I mean, are we actually going aboard an alien space ship?"

"You betcha corporal and with the added flavor of an imminent reactor overload," replied the lieutenant with a grin. Grabbing his rifle he exited the armory, heading for the airlock. The captain was waiting for them.

"We've docked to the alien vessel and while our airlocks aren't even close to compatible, we were able to use our kinetic barriers to ensure an airtight seal. Just remember we have to disengage within five minutes otherwise we'll go up with them."

"Understood sir. We'll be back in time," replied Peterson as they entered the airlock.

"Good luck lieutenant," replied the captain as the airlock closed.

Moments later the outer airlock door opened, revealing the transport's pitted and scarred outer hatch. Looking down he could see open space through several cracks where the two docking rings didn't match. "The captain wasn't kidding," he muttered as he began to look for a way to gain access. Eventually he found a manual release and pulled; the door opening before him. "We've made entry," he announced over the comm.

The inner airlock door was fortunately still powered and parted before them. As they stepped into the transport proper the damage became clear. Smoke filled the air, sparking wires and shattered displays a mute testament to the violence of minutes earlier. "Atmosphere is a nitrogen-oxygen mixture similar to our own, at least what there is of it," he commented. His armor's scanners coupled with those of the Pathfinder had already detected several hull breeches dotting the vessel, slowly bleeding atmosphere. "I have two life signs coming from the forward compartment," he continued turning right.

Another door, this one blasted off its tracks announced their transition to the transport's small bridge. Two figures were slumped over dead consoles, purple blood flowing from several gashes in their environmental suits. "We've found the survivors," reported Peterson over the comm. "Corporal see if you can interface with their computers," he ordered, gesturing to one of the few operational stations while he began inspecting the closest of the aliens. "Damned lucky they're wearing these suits," he commented as he began scanning his charge. "Probably the only thing keeping them alive."

"Reginald I'm initiating an uplink," said the corporal as he waved his arm over the terminal. A neural command ordered his armor's limited AI to negotiate a connection with the alien computer and through it the Pathfinder would be able to access their database.

"Confirmed, I have established a connection. Download in progress," replied the voice of the nervous synth. "There's a surprisingly small amount of data here and their firewalls are unusually advanced for their level of technology," he commented before announcing, "I've completed the transfer."

"Corporal grab that one and let's get out of here," ordered Peterson, carefully hefting the surprisingly light form that had been slumped over the forward most console.

"Yes sir," answered the second man as he did the same for the other alien. Retreating to the airlock the two entered and the outer door closed behind them; the sound of the magnetic docking clamps ringing through the enclosed space as the alien transport was castoff. Waiting as the decontamination system swept over him Peterson took the opportunity to examine the alien in his arms. It was humanoid and aside from some morphological differences to the hands and lower legs it could've easily been mistaken for a human.

Exiting the airlock the marines made their way aft, the scream of the engines echoing around them as the Pathfinder made a hard burn away from the unstable transport. A sharp jolt announced the shockwave from its destruction. Entering the small sick bay and placing his charge on one of the beds, Peterson took note of the captain with a salute. "We only found two of them aboard sir."

"Understood," replied Cochrane as he examined the forms before him, the Pathfinder's CMO Doctor Stratford hovering over the closest one with a scanner. "They almost look human don't they?"

"Yes sir," replied the marine captain. "I mean I knew there were other aliens. We were briefed on them and everything. But I sort of thought…

"What, they'd be big blobs of purple jelly with tentacles lieutenant?" asked the doctor with a grin. "I think someone has seen too many sci-fi vids. Besides the Protheans don't look too different from us overall and we know they guided the development of at least two other races."

The captain chuckled at that. "So will they live doc?"

"They're both very badly injured," replied the older woman. "Fortunately the data Reginald downloaded included a medical primer so I at least know what I'm looking at. This one," gesturing to the alien Lieutenant Peterson had brought in, "has multiple shattered bones and compound fractures, damaged organs, a bad concussion, lacerations... it'd actually be easier to list what isn't damaged."

"And the other?"

"Worse if you can believe it. His entire right arm and most of his ribs are shattered in addition to internal bleeding, a damaged lung, liver, heart and spleen."

"We found that one lying over a console on the side of the bridge. The bulkhead above him was dented so I guess he was thrown into it."

"Well I'm going to have to inject them both with nanites and place them in a regeneration bath for a couple of days at least."

"Do whatever you have to doctor," ordered Cochrane. "These two are officially the most important people on board."

"I'll do my best captain," replied the woman with a reassuring smile.

"I know you will Helen," replied the captain with a sigh. "I'll be in my quarters having what is sure to be an excruciating conversation with HIGHCOM," he continued as he headed for the door. Damned if he knew how he was going to explain this mess to the brass.


	3. Chapter Two - Operation Return

**Chapter Two - Operation Return**

_Ha'rasa Syndicate Headquarters_

_Torfan, Lomboko System_

_January 30, 2152_

Enton Malar smiled as she studied the data from their most recent raid into the Attican Traverse. En route to a supposed cache of prothean artifacts they'd detected radio transmissions from a planet well off the normal shipping routes. Ordinarily they wouldn't have bothered going out that far, the Ha'rasa Syndicates' primary interest being slaving after all, but they'd received a tip and those relics were worth their weight in eezo.

They hadn't found anything prothean but something that had the potential to be even more valuable. The signals had led them to an entirely new species; defenseless and ripe for harvesting. As was his custom their leader Balor Na'chak had led that raid, 'and he probably did it from the rear too,' though Enton with a sneer. Balor was a cowardly varren with an ego the size of a moon and he wasn't particularly intelligent either. Why he would command from that piece of crap frigate of his was beyond her comprehension but she didn't object. With any luck the thing's barriers would crap out on the way back and a micrometeorite would take care of the rest.

Enton hated Balor. For all of his boasting and posturing, she was the one who actually ran the syndicate. She organized the raids, dealt with the trainers and brokers on Torfan and managed their logistics. He'd also made the syndicate a lot of enemies during his tenure and the responsibility for keeping them off their backs fell to her; something that cost a lot of time, credits and 'favors' over the years. Honestly it'd be better for everyone if Balor had an accident in the near future; maybe during his pursuit of those quarian interlopers. Enton made a mental note to contact her agent in place about the possibility.

Smiling at the thought she turned back to the data on their newest product. This new race was remarkably similar in appearance to the asari but more closely resembled her race in biology. That was good. Given their biological similarity to batarians the control implants should work correctly without a major redesign, something that would seriously cut into their profits. And if they didn't well there were always more where they came from if a few were lost perfecting the process.

She just hoped they could find more colonies to raid in the future. These 'humans' could become a very profitable concern and even better, they were located well away from the long arm of the Citadel. They were clearly space faring given the small population of the world they'd raided. But from recovered samples of their technology they were at best on par with the quarians and well behind what the syndicate had access to. Their peaceful nature made capturing them even easier too.

Now if only they could find their homeworld.

* * *

_SSV Dauntless-A_

_BCS-1099-A_

_En Route to Torfan_

Commodore Jason Caldwell was pissed. His subordinates knew it, his superiors knew it and soon those batarian savages would know it too. The fact that they'd attacked a human colony, even an independent one was an act of war in his eyes. The only reason the Second Fleet wasn't preparing for an assault on Khar'shan was due to intelligence that claimed they were dealing with an independent group of slavers unconnected to the Batarian Hegemony.

From what he'd studied about the Batarians, Caldwell found that unlikely. It was more likely that the connections were there, just hidden behind layers of shell corporations and accounting tricks. He knew Alliance Intelligence and Cerberus were probably already aware of those connections but had advised the president not to attack. First contact was due in a few years, although this would probably get it bumped up, and they didn't want to introduce themselves to the Citadel Council by invading one of their affiliate race's homeworld. It was understandable but still made him angry. Like any soldier he knew that the military was subordinate to the politics of a nation, even in the case of the Systems Alliance where the military was its own independent branch of the government. But he still didn't like it.

That they'd hit one of the independent worlds, especially Horizon, made this whole fiasco even worse. The colony had been founded shortly after the Alliance began colonizing the Traverse. At the time only Alliance colonists were allowed through the Gateway Relay that linked to the Local Cluster. But the Local Cluster had been parceled up and sectioned off long ago and there wasn't really anywhere left to found a breakoff colony. So those would-be colonists had done the only logical thing: they sued. The case had made it all the way to the Alliance Supreme Court and shortly after their victory dozens of colony ships began flowing through to the Traverse. They were still technically bound by the Montreal Accords and so they could count on the Alliance for protection but otherwise they were completely independent.

Horizon was one of the many 'stepback' colonies where people could their lives without the pervasive presence of modern technology. Well except universal assemblers, fusion reactors, weather modification grids and access to the net. It wasn't quite the ideal of the Amish but it was still far more rustic than anything that could be found on Earth or any other Alliance colony.

And they were pacifists. Caldwell hated pacifists.

With a population of almost a half million, Horizon didn't have a dedicated military force to speak of. What it did have was an undersized militia and not a well-equipped one either. Their weapons were vintage twenty-first century and they didn't even have proper armor. Their most sophisticated combat vehicle had been a technical made from a farmer's old F-150.

In short it had been over as soon as the slavers had landed. They'd grabbed anyone they could, packed them into freighters and lit out well before the Alliance even knew something was wrong. When the colony had failed to respond to communications and after an Alliance patrol had confirmed the colony had been attacked a relief force had been dispatched; hours after the attack had concluded.

Of course the remaining colonists were up in arms about the Alliance's failure to protect them. Never mind that Horizon's government had refused the installation of a disaster beacon because they saw it as an unnecessary intrusion on their 'sovereignty'. Never mind that they hadn't bothered to emplace a single defense platform in orbit even when California Colony had offered them some surplus ones for free. And never mind that they wouldn't organize a proper defense force even when they were technically required to do so under the Montreal Accords. But it was the Alliance's fault they were attacked, obviously.

Sometimes Caldwell wondered why he cared anymore.

But like any good soldier he would do his duty and carry out his orders. And his current orders were to make an example of the slavers on Torfan. To this end he'd been given command of a force numbering seventy-two warships, eight troopships carrying sixteen Marine Expeditionary Units and a fleet train of support ships, transports and a single mobile shipyard. His orders were to locate and retrieve the Horizon colonists and every other slave they could find, capture as many slavers as possible and then turn Torfan into a radioactive crater.

Hopefully that would send the right message.

"Sir," reported one of his flag staff, interrupting his thoughts, "we're receiving an uplink from the intelligence drones in the Lomboko system."

Caldwell smiled at that. At least the Alliance hadn't been ignoring the potential threat presented by these bastards. There were sixteen class-twelve intelligence drones lurking throughout the system, feeding the Alliance with up to the minute intelligence on everything that took place within a two light-hour radius of Torfan.

"Let's see what they have waiting for us," replied the Commodore, turning to the holo-tank. Above it materialized a detailed holographic plot of the system which quickly zoomed in on the planet in question.

"We're detecting sixty-one frigate analogues, thirty-five cruisers and a single dreadnought," reported the Dauntless' primary synthetic officer, a synth by the name of Natalie. "There's also another four hundred ninety-seven vessels in orbit, mostly transports and freighters."

"They sure don't have much variety in their warships do they?" commented another member of his flag.

"A legacy of the Citadel unfortunately," replied Caldwell with a patronizing smile. "Frigates screen, cruisers attack and dreadnoughts are glorified artillery platforms. That's about all they've ever bothered to develop over the last twenty-seven hundred years."

"Pretty simplistic."

"I agree," nodded Caldwell, "but that actually works in our favor. They won't know how to properly counter attacks by strikecraft or a missile swarm. They're so dependent on mass accelerators that they don't have the tactical flexibility to adapt to new circumstances."

"It also helps that we're hundreds of years ahead of them," grinned Natalie, "at least from their perspective."

"True," agreed Caldwell. "The only thing I'm worried about is that dreadnought."

"According to our scans the vessel is an old turian design. Cerberus reports a vessel matching this one was hijacked out of the Menae mothball yards in orbit of Palaven. Got away without even getting shot at too."

"Pretty sloppy of the turians," commented Caldwell. "I imagine some heads are rolling from that fuck-up."

"I'm sure," replied Natalie. "Anyway it's a standard Barrier-class dreadnought which was the state of the art almost a hundred years ago and was replaced about six decades ago by the Endurance-class. According to decrypted intelligence that Cerberus somehow got their hands on, the Barrier was noted for its surprisingly powerful main cannon and resilient shields and hull structure. But they were also slow and maneuvered like a brick."

"Any signs of modifications?"

"There appears to be a number of new weapon emplacements on its hull. Intel believes they're secondary mass accelerators but of course they can't confirm."

"Of course not," sighed the Commodore. "That would require someone putting his ass on the line and make a commitment. Can't have that in government service," he continued, smiling at the wave of chuckles from his staff. "Well whatever they are they won't be much of a threat when we hole that dreadnought stem to stern."

"Yes sir," replied Natalie. "We'll be folding in two minutes."

"Signal the battle group to combat alert. I want every strike craft we have launched as soon as we complete the jump."

"Yes sir," replied the synth, transmitting the instructions to the rest of the fleet and preparing for her job coordinating the fleet as the group's flagship. Across the task force klaxons blared and weapon turrets unlocked. Capacitors loaded, defensive systems came online and crew ran for their stations. Fighter pilots strapped themselves into their birds, querying up for their assigned launch catapults while synths transferred themselves to their microships.

"The group is ready for combat sir," reported Natalie one minute, twenty seven seconds later.

"Excellent," replied Caldwell with a proud grin. "Let's show these sons-a-bitches what happens when you fuck with the human race."

* * *

_Vesilus' Triumph_

_In Orbit of Torfan_

Vesilus Kuril was a traitor to his race. Or at least the majority of it that subscribed to the oppression of the Hierarchy. He'd left that behind a long time ago and for the most part he didn't miss it. He was in it for himself and that's the way he liked it. And when you command your own dreadnought, you could do damned near anything you wanted to and get away with it. Something else he enjoyed.

It hadn't been easy. Sneaking back into Hierarchy space with a bounty on his head, infiltrating the Menae mothball yards and stealing a dreadnought was the closest thing to impossible he'd ever heard of. But it had gone off perfectly and now six months later he'd already paid off the debts he'd accrued planning the heist and made a king's ransom as a mercenary. There weren't many independent dreadnoughts in existence and he was always receiving offers from the various merc and pirate groups that prowled the Terminus; so many he couldn't keep up.

Currently they were resupplying at Torfan and Vesilus was thinking of going down later to browse the markets. It got awfully lonely on those long cruises between fights and he could use someone to warm his bed. It wasn't like he couldn't afford a whole harem in he wanted one but he was practical. Besides those new weapons had set him back quite a bit.

He didn't have a clue where they'd been developed and the technology was beyond anything he'd ever seen. Directed energy weaponry wasn't usually practical for warships, plasma weaponry even less so. So when he'd been contacted by an old friend and they'd eventually got around to what he was selling, at first he thought he was on the receiving end of a practical joke. A trip to Sharjila and a demonstration had put any doubts to rest. His friend hadn't known where they'd come from either but it didn't really matter. They hit like a cruiser's main gun and melted through armor like a high powered GARDIAN laser. They were more than worth the cost.

Still his curiosity had been peaked so he made some discrete inquiries. He'd come away with little more than rumors and speculation. Some said they originated in the Salarian Union's multitude of high security labs on Sul'kesh. Other said they'd been acquired from the collectors as part of one of their infrequent and unusual trade deals. Some even spoke of a new race that had been making covert business deals with a few of the Terminus powers. Personally he was leaning towards the first option. If anyone could develop something like his new guns it'd be the Salarians. And the other two options were pretty far out there. The collectors were nothing but a myth and a new race… no it had to be the salarians.

Besides he wasn't going to look a gift nathak in the face. He'd probably get his bitten off.

"So captain, you heard the latest rumors?" asked one of his bridge crew, a young asari maiden. Most of his crew were down on the planet at the moment but a few were still manning their stations. His fellow captains found it bizarre how loose an operation he ran. Vesilus thought of it as an investment. If you treat your crew with respect, pay them well and give them luxuries then they'll follow you into hell and be far less likely to turn against you. It also tended to attract talent which was more important than anything else for a warship.

"No, what've you heard?" asked Vesilus.

"Apparently the Ha'rasa Syndicate encountered a new race in the deep Traverse. Bunch of new slaves arrived last night from one of their colonies. Took a look when I was down there and you wouldn't believe how much they look like asari."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Only difference is they have fur instead of a head crest and their skin is pink or brown instead of blue. No biotics though from what I hear."

"I'll have to check them out," commented Vesilus with a look of deep thought. A new race huh… nah, coincidence.

"Sir, I'm detecting something strange," commented another crewman, this one a batarian operating the dreadnought's vast array of sensors.

"What sort of strange?"

"There's been a massive surge of electromagnetic, thermal and dark energy. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Distance?" asked Kuril, his interest peaked.

"Twelve million kilometers bearing zero nine one mark zero one three."

"Hmm, take us to condition two."

"Yes sir but we're on minimal crewing at the moment," reported the asari.

"Understood. Just do what you can. It's probably nothing but better safe than sorry."

Across the small world's orbit warships took notice and turned to face the anomaly. While the collection of vessels was far from united, an informal agreement was in place when they were in port at places like Torfan or Omega. Ports in the Terminus were comparatively rare and so it was a good idea to work together to defend them. Hundreds of eyes watched the returns from long range telescopes and RADAR.

At first there was nothing, just an empty patch of space like any other. Then it grew darker, like all light in the vicinity was being drawn in. In the midst of that darkness points of red light appeared; one dimensional objects in a three dimensional universe. These points spread becoming lines and then broadened becoming rectangles. From these squares emerged ships unlike any seen before, graceful like those of the asari and brimming with enough weaponry to make a turian proud. Their main color seemed to be a dark grey, bordering on black with highlights of silver and red. Some were small frigates, others cruisers. And leading them was what could only be described as a small dreadnought, hundreds of turrets dotting its surface.

As they watched the larger vessels began spewing fighters by the hundreds. It was clearly a provocation and the various captains of the outlaw fleet began preparing for combat.

Many wouldn't get the chance.

* * *

"Status?"

"We've completed our fold," reported Natalie. "Astrometric readings confirm a dilation of five minutes, eighteen seconds."

"Understood," replied Caldwell. While a space fold could jump a vessel over hundreds of light-years, the process had its drawbacks. By its very nature it fundamentally violated the laws of physics, toying with higher dimensions well beyond the four they lived in. The most obvious side effect was the presence of extreme time dilation during a fold. For the vessels in question it seemed as if the jump was instantaneous. However for the rest of the universe it was anything but. The farther you jumped the greater the dilation, sometimes stretching into hours and on one test almost three days.

"All strike craft are launching," reported a member of his staff.

Caldwell's fleet was composed primarily of escorts and so didn't have a large number of strike craft. In fact the only vessels that carried any were the Dauntless, his two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers and the trio of strike carriers. Still that amounted to almost five hundred fighters and bombers, supplemented by a little over fourteen hundred microships manned by synths. By Alliance standards that was a pitifully small number. But compared to what the slavers were used to it was an armada.

"Hail the dreadnought," ordered Caldwell. Part of his orders was to attempt diplomacy before engaging. He didn't like it but he doubted anything they had could hurt him.

"They're responding."

The image of a turian with blue facial markings appeared before him. "This is Captain Kuril of the dreadnought Vesilus' Triumph. Identify yourselves."

"This is Commodore Jason Caldwell of the Systems Alliance Navy. We're here in response to an attack by warships operating out of this port on one of our colonies."

"And what of it?" replied the turian dismissively.

"It's simple captain. You have one hour to return them or we'll take them back by force."

"Are you threatening us?" asked the alien, his mandibles rising in challenge.

"Yes," replied Caldwell simply. "Consider this your only warning. Caldwell out," he concluded, the image disappearing.

"Most of the warships are breaking orbit sir," reported an aid. "Estimate they'll be in weapons range in five minutes."

"Deploy sensor swarms and prepare to engage the enemy. Priority target is the dreadnought. Have Captain Rochester make an example of it," ordered Caldwell, referring to the Dauntless' captain.

"Yes sir."

Bright flares flashed to life behind the fleet, protons and anti-protons meeting and annihilating each other in massive controlled explosions that propelled each vessel forward on a slick of shining purple, aided by waves of dark energy and electrogravitic fields. Each vessel was venting its sensor swarm; space-time howling as hundreds of millions of FTL jumps took place. Sensor schematics continuously updated as more and more of the system was revealed by the tiny drones.

Minutes passed as the two fleets continued to close. While the slavers and raiders could reliably engage at a half light-second; Alliance warships were under no such constraints. As the human vessels crossed five million kilometers missiles began launching from the VLS cells of the Dauntless and her cruiser escorts. Each carried an anti-shipping multiple independently targetable submunition dispenser, better known as a Hydra warhead. The Hydra had been developed during the Second Frieden War to deal with the extreme numbers of defense satellites deployed over New Sarajevo. A distant descendant of Project Excalibur of Strategic Defense Initiative fame, the Hydra carried sixteen smaller missiles, each of which would strike its target with a five kiloton nuclear bomb pumped x-ray laser.

This warhead was mated to a standard Alliance Navy Trebuchet-class missile. While the missile only possessed moderate defenses it was equipped with a powerful electronic warfare suite which first blended the missiles into the background radiation. At twenty thousand kilometers this tactic ceased to be effective and the missiles were forced to change tactics. Rather than trying to hide in the background, they started generating thousands of false returns, hiding among the clutter. Lasers began pouring out from their targets, few actually connecting with anything solid and fewer still splashing their targets as the missiles began evasive maneuvers.

Finally at twelve thousand kilometers the weapons entered the terminal phase of their flight, jettisoning the casings protecting their submunitions and adding further clutter to their sensor returns. Each spawned smaller missiles which closed to five thousand kilometers and detonated. Beams of coherent light an order of magnitude beyond anything their armor was designed to contest skewered the enemy fleet, melting sensors, weapons, barrier emitters and engines and crippling half of their numbers in under four seconds.

Then it got worse.

* * *

_Eclipse Cruiser Teblin_

When these aliens had first appeared, Captain Sarana L'rosh had been intrigued. Their designs were unlike anything she'd ever seen and that alone made them valuable. Their transmission demanding the return of their people had been entertaining and their threats laughable. They were outnumbered and with that idiot Kuril and his dreadnought fighting in support the fools were far outmatched. They actually still used missiles of all things too. Her GARDIAN array would make short work of those antiquated weapons.

Then things had gone straight to hell. The missiles had proven surprisingly resilient to her defenses and their jamming was making it next to impossible to connect with and destroy them. Then each missile had broken into smaller missiles, which to her thinking seemed pretty ridiculous. At one point her weapon's officer had reported over six million contacts closing on them. Thousands were emitting radiological signatures too and that meant nukes.

Then they'd all detonated and half the fleet had been crippled.

"REPORT!" she screamed over the sound of exploding electronics.

"We were hit by multiple lasers. X-ray frequency," reported one of the techs. "Plasma shields are holding at thirty-four percent."

Sarana sighed in relief. Like the new plasma weapons appearing on the market, compressed plasma shielding was a godsend in combat. Unlike kinetic barriers they could actually stop the GARDIAN lasers that made boarding operations so hazardous. It was a technology like nothing else on the market and its origins were as murky as the plasma cannons, four of which now adorned the Teblin's hull.

"What's the status of the Kuril's dreadnought?"

"It was spared the attack. No damage."

"What…?" began Sarana in confusion before the image on the screen cut her off.

The aliens had closed to knife fight range. Already the enemy fighters were sweeping though the fleet blowing the living crap out of anything that'd been spared the missiles before descending on the orbital defense platforms. Vesilus' Triumph had finally begun firing, round after round leaving her main gun in an attempt to land point blank shots on the alien dreadnought. Yet they didn't hit, instead disappearing in flashes of purplish light. At first Sarana thought it was some sort of kinetic barrier. Her mouth dropped open as identical flashes appeared behind the vessel, the projectiles continuing on their ballistic courses as if their target wasn't even real.

"What in the name of the goddess?" she exclaimed. The cannon rounds had passed through the alien vessel without doing any damage? Who were these people?

The alien warship finally appeared to take notice of the Triumph. A point of light appeared from a recess on its forward hull, growing brighter for a second. It almost looked like an overload of some sort until a bright yellow beam burst forth, spearing the dreadnought right through; completely ignoring its kinetic barriers. The beam didn't actually seem to be doing anything to the Triumph however, no debris or burning atmosphere jettisoning from the impact. But as the beam shut off Sarana breath hitched in her throat. Where the weapon had struck there was now a perfect hole straight down its length; as clean as if it had been cut with a laser and large enough to fly a shuttle through. The ruined vessel began to drift, its power failing and its main gun just gone.

"Target the aliens for goddess' sake," yelled Sarana.

The Teblin came about; bolts of aquamarine spewing from her turrets joined a fraction of a second later by the pounding of rounds from her mass accelerator, the launch of disruptor torpedoes and even the flashes of her GARDIAN lasers. But regardless of the fury of the attack they were better off throwing curse words for all the damage they were doing. The plasma bolts were losing integrity and collapsing well before impact, the torpedoes failed to detonate, the cannon rounds were being intercepted by defense lasers and even the her own lasers were stopped by a glowing field of hexagonal tiles that she instantly recognized as a plasma shield. 'At least we know where that tech came from,' Sarana thought bitterly to herself. Her eyes returned to the display in time to see a series of large turrets swinging her way.

As she was about to order an evasion, Sarana's world ended in green light.

* * *

"Were those plasma bolts?" demanded Caldwell as the Dauntless' neutron cannons obliterated the enemy cruiser.

"It appears so," replied Natalie with a frown. "The composition of the plasma and muzzle velocity closely matches known Frieden designs."

"Son-of-a… where the hell did these god-damned slavers get Frieden weaponry?" asked Caldwell. The implications of this were disturbing in the extreme. There had been some rumblings from the Alliance Central Intelligence Agency that the Friedens were getting their hands on far more equipment and ship hulls then they should've been able to after the war devastated their economy.

"Not just weaponry," continued Natalie. "That vessel was equipped with a plasma shield as well."

"Good god," commented an aid.

"Fortunately the shield was as antiquated as their plasma cannons," commented Natalie. The Friedens were generally believed to be equipping their fleets with a mixture of what the Alliance considered fourth and fifth generation systems while the Alliance was currently mothballing its fifth generation warships as sixth generation replacements rolled out of the shipyards.

"It's still disturbing," replied Caldwell before shaking it off, "but we can worry about that later. What's the status of the enemy fleet?"

"We've crippled all military vessels believed to be carrying slaves. All others have been destroyed."

"Casualties on our side?"

"Four fighters and twenty seven microships destroyed. One of the fighter pilots was unable to eject in time. The frigate SSV Sparta has sustained minor hull damage as well but her repair systems are handling it. No other casualties."

"We caught them with their pants down," grinned Caldwell. "What about the civilian vessels?"

"Looks like a bunch of them are getting ready to run," commented an amused Natalie. "Shall I take care of them?"

"By all means."

The synth nodded as her avatar disappeared. Diving into the fleet's network she was joined by hundreds of other crew assigned to cyberwarfare duties, organic and synthetic. Every vessel in the Alliance Fleet from the smallest frigate to the largest mothership was equipped with dedicated cyberwarfare transceivers. These transceivers began emitting a veritable wave of data, infiltrating their targets through communications arrays and sensor receivers. They quickly overwhelmed the incredibly weak firewalls and took remote control of their systems. Engines sputtered and shut down, kinetic barriers collapsed and the few weapons went offline. Thrusters betrayed commands given by their crews and placed each in a station keeping orbit while command systems were locked out and consoles went dark.

"All civilian vessels are disabled," reported Natalie as her avatar reappeared.

Caldwell checked his watch before letting out a whistle, "Ten point three seconds. Not too bad."

"Why thank you commodore," smiled the synth.

"You're very welcome. Lieutenant," said Caldwell, turning to one of his aids, "have all embarked marines begin boarding operations. Make sure they know that capturing crewmembers alive is secondary to the safety of the slaves."

"Yes sir," replied the aid, turning back to his console to relay the orders.

"Also, contact General Williams and let him know he can jump his task force in," the commodore continued, referring to the fleet train that was hiding in the outer system. While the task force he referred to was composed of naval vessels and Williams was a Marine, he'd been placed in command because most of them were either troopships or transports and because he was the second highest ranking officer in the task force. Marines and their fragile egos.

"General Williams has received your orders and will be arriving shortly," replied Natalie.

A series of fold windows appeared heralding the arrival of the fleet train; although the term was slightly misleading. Unlike on a normal deployment only one of the forty-three new arrivals was actually capable of providing support for the task force's ships; that being the Nabaal-II-class light mobile shipyard SSV Newport News. The rest consisted of militarized transports, hospital ships, troopships and half a dozen escorts to keep them safe. Already he could see the twelve hundred meter long shipyard deploying battle taxis to stabilize crippled alien vessels and conduct SAR operations.

Observing the newly arrived fleet he grinned as he noticed a group that clearly stood out. Unlike the graceful lines of Alliance warships, the MacArthur-class troopships were built for pure utility. Despite their size, the vessels themselves had a surprisingly small internal volume. Each measured nine hundred fifty five meters in length but most of that was made up of a long forward section with a head that looked like a giant magnet. In fact the two pronged bow was a magnet and a massive shock absorber that allowed the MacArthur to ram itself into and attach itself to another vessel or a station as a prelude to a boarding action. However the main bulk of the vessel came from the two massive pods clamped to its underside.

Each pod contained a full Marine Expeditionary Unit consisting of between fifty-eight hundred and six thousand men as well as their equipment. Currently the Alliance had almost fourteen hundred such units for troopship deployment alone and each had its own mobile base, the formal name for the pod which contained everything from barracks and a combat hospital to training and recreation facilities, garages for its ground vehicles, artillery and mecha and hangers for its VTOLs and atmospheric strike craft. Each was seven hundred meters long, three hundred wide and almost forty stories tall. Just a single floor of had more square footage then the entire Empire State Building. And it had thirty levels. Equipped with electrogravitic thrusters, its own GARDIAN array and long range cruise missile silos to provide support in combat, each was a base unto itself and could be further expanded with modular add-on structures in the field.

General Williams was currently in command of eight troopships, all told some one hundred thousand men and women. He could already see the troopships making a burn for low orbit to deploy the first wave of marines to the planet below.

Caldwell smiled a savage little smile. God had better have mercy on those savages. The Alliance Marine Corps wasn't known for showing any.

* * *

Gunnery Sergeant Samone Torres was a marine. It was the fact around which she defined her existence and had been for the past seven years. She'd instantly fit into the green machine like the millions that had come before her and the hundreds of millions currently serving. The Systems Alliance Marine Corps was a massive organization numbering almost two hundred million, including the reserves. It was so large due to the fact that it was the only ground forces the Alliance possessed and one of four branches of the military, the others being the Navy, Strike Corps and the Special Operations Command. The Marines were responsible for all combat within a planet's atmosphere as well as providing security forces for warships, bases and outposts. They carried the responsibilities formerly shared with the armies and air forces of the past.

The changes had come about due to the evolving nature of warfare as the human race spread across the Local Cluster. Armies had proven to be large, ponderous things and difficult to transport over long distances in time to do any good. The Marine model being based on the idea of a rapid reaction force was perfect for the newly formed Alliance Armed Forces. That is not to say the Marines of the twenty-second century were identical to those of the twentieth. Unlike their comparatively lightly equipped ancestors, the modern Marine Corps had all the heavier toys that were usually reserved for armies. Tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and even combat mecha were common elements within a marine unit just as atmospheric fighters, bombers and UAVs were.

Samone was part of the Orbital Shock Infantry, a division of the Marine Special Warfare Command. They were descended from the elite paratroopers of past and were just as deadly as those soldiers of old. However unlike their forerunners, the OSI's job wasn't to jump out of a transport but instead to jump out of a ship in low orbit, surviving atmospheric reentry with only a micron thin plasma shield between them and death.

Currently Torres was standing in the drop bay of her MEU's base which was docked to the troopship SSV Bertram Ramsay. By normal reckoning she was actually standing on the bay's roof watching the planet approach above her. Around her almost two hundred other marines milled about chatting with each other or checking their equipment. The bay was currently depressurized and open to space in preparation for their drop; the marines each encased in an Atlas mark twelve powered combat exoskeleton.

The Atlas itself was the product of more than a century and a half of development dating to the end of the Cold War. The exoskeleton was covered the sleek silvery mithril armor atop of layers of myomer, non-Newtonian fluids, crystalline microfibers and a semi-organic under suit that acted as an extremely tough supplement to her skin, actually bonding with her epidermis for as long as it was active. Beyond the protective layers, medical systems, atmospheric seals and strength amplifying artificial muscle the armor encased her in dual layer of dark energy and plasma.

The suit had been custom made for her when she'd joined the Corps and further customized over the years to fit her combat style. It was something that Samone had always found ironic about the Marines. On the surface the Corps seemed like a machine, designed to fit every one of its members into the same mold, creating an army that each acted and fought in exactly the same way. The truth was in fact the exact opposite. While every recruit was given the same package of augmentations and had the same data downloaded into their memory during training, the results were that every soldier was an individual, just as the Corps had always advocated. The ideal of an 'army of one' that dated back to the turn of the millennium was made manifest with modern technology.

That wasn't to say that the Corps didn't also enthusiastically encourage teamwork as well. A single soldier was someone to be feared. A squad, a platoon, a company; those were forces of nature. Noticing someone walking up to her and recognizing his IFF tag, Samone couldn't think of a better case in point.

As her armor automatically opened a comm link, Samone smiled beneath her helmet, "What's up John?"

"Not much," replied the other marine. A gunnery sergeant and member of the OSI like herself, John Pritchard a shining example of a modern marine. Rumor had it, frequently denied of course that he'd been offered a chance to star in a recruitment drive. Had he been in a different unit he'd probably be sharing command of a full company with a captain. In the OSI he was more a lone wolf, trained to fight in small units of five or on his own as the situation required. "Just getting ready for the drop. I swear I'll never get used to jumping out a ship like this."

Torres snorted at that, "You've only done is about a thousand times."

Pritchard shook his head at that. He'd always been a cautious one, something that had seen him promoted rather quickly over the years. His superiors had always appreciated that kind of prudence under fire while getting the job done. His records reflected that too; only three casualties under his command over the entirety of his career and not a single fatality before joining the OSI. He and Torres had actually joined at the same time and had been members of the same MEU for the past three years. "Oh I forgot. You're an adrenaline junky."

Torres laughed and swatted Pritchard with her tail. "Comes with the job man," she replied. Torres was an anthromorph, specifically a vulpine. Her great, great grandparents had jumped on board with that movement back in the late twenty-first and eighty years later it was still going strong in her family. It was another thing she really appreciated about the corps. While human civilization had evolved over the centuries, things like racism still existed, especially in more conservative regions like her native Montana. In the corps, as the old joke went, the only color was green.

"Jump in one minute," came the voice of their CO Major Tallmadge over the comm, interrupting the duo.

Torres ran a final check of her equipment, confirming the validity of the diagnostics. With that completed and satisfied she was ready for deployment the gunny fired off an 'all-ready' to the major. Turning her attention to the void above and beyond that their target, Torres readied herself for the upcoming drop, the countdown projecting itself on her HUD.

When the counter expired she summoned her biotics, wreathing herself in fluxing purple/blue waves of energy. Channeling that energy she initiated what was commonly known as a 'charge', propelling herself upwards at almost two thousand kilometers an hour. A split second later she'd cleared the drop bay and was rocketing head first straight at Torfan's surface. They'd dropped from an altitude of one hundred kilometers and so it took only thirty-six seconds before she slammed into the mesosphere; her shields flaring with rolling plasma streamers. Still surrounded by fluxing mass effect fields she began to slow her descent, cutting her speed by two-thirds by the time she'd hit the troposphere. Surveying the ground below and consulting her assigned landing zone she altered her course slightly, the maneuver taking place at eight kilometers.

By one kilometer she'd reduced her velocity to a bare one hundred kilometers an hour and chosen her final landing coordinates. At five hundred meters a haze of electricity began appearing as her electrogravitic landing system activated, a yellow field of artificial gravity surrounding her in a protective bubble. Taking the opportunity to flip so her feet were down, she slammed into the ground at a bare thirty kilometers per hour; a small shockwave of dust exploding from her impact.

It was a maneuver worthy of an Olympic gymnast, one she had perfected over years of service putting out fires across the Alliance and beyond. Unfortunately her current audience was somewhat less enthusiastic. Surrounding her were a half dozen armed batarians that had been dazzled by her landing. A she stood up they broke from their stupor and raised their weapons.

Samone didn't give them a chance to fire. Her body flushed with dark energy as she accessed her armor's reserve capacitors and readied a nova. Simultaneously dozens of small ports opened across the surface of her exoskeleton, each containing a razor sharp flechette. Just as the batarians were about to fire she released the energy, the blast sending them flying, rapidly shifting mass effect fields stripping them of their barriers and tearing at their armor. The wave was followed by the deployment of her typhoon system, shredding the soldiers around her with the hypersonic darts. Surveying the damage her landing had caused Samone grinned.

Time to get to work.

* * *

Talius was a merc. One of the rare turians in Eclipse he'd been assigned to the organization's operations on Torfan as a glorified security guard. It hadn't been what he'd been expecting when he joined but if jobs like this led to a more prestigious posting then who was he to complain. However it was times like this he wondered why he'd ever left the military.

He'd just gone off duty when the alarms had started blaring alerting them to an attack. Sighing he began reequipping his armor. Attacks on Torfan's various organizations weren't exactly an unusual occurrence. Most likely some idiot had gotten it into his head to try and knock off one of Eclipse's clients. What bothered him was why such incidents always seemed to happen either when he was sleeping or after he'd just gone off duty. Honestly he couldn't remember a single incident taking place when he was actually supposed to be dealing with them.

He emerged from his quarters to find the hallway in pandemonium. Salarians and asari were running everywhere like crazed varren as they equipped armor and readied their weapons. Recognizing one Talius ran to catch up.

"What's happening Sirus?" he said, catching the attention of the salarian.

"Torfan's under attack," blurted the merc, waving his hands frantically. "No one knows who they are but they've slaughtered the fleet in orbit."

That caught the turian's attention. Who would be stupid enough to attack Torfan? The colony was a fortress, literally. The main colony had been designed to survive orbital bombardment, ground assaults and even a limited nuclear strike. And it was capable of hitting back too.

"What about the orbital defenses?"

"Wiped out by a massive wave of fighters," replied Sirus as the two exited the barracks. "Even the Vesilus' Triumph has been destroyed."

"And the ground defenses?" Torfan was equipped with dozens of surface to orbit mass accelerator cannons and hundreds of missile silos.

"They can't get a lock on the invaders," replied the salarian. "Command is trying to… to," he continued, his words trailing off as he looked up at the sky above.

Talius followed his gaze, his mandibles going slack at the sight of hundreds of fireballs descending on the colony. His first thought was reentry vehicles but they were too small. Removing a pair of oculars from his armor he zoomed in on the incoming objects. "By the spirits."

"WHAT?" asked his excitable companion.

"Those are people," replied the turian. Who the hell would dive straight into a planet's atmosphere without a reentry vehicle? "Grab your weapon. I have a feeling you'll need it."

* * *

Lantira L'roak was an experienced commando before her disgrace. Her flight from Illium after seeing her entire career destroyed had been a nightmare. And winding up on Torfan had been the nadir of the entire affair. Two hundred years of loyal service to Matriarch Sal'ira and this was her thanks. The attack alert had made her mood even fouler. No matter where she went it was like trouble seemed to follow her. Reports of the fleet's destruction set her on edge. Whoever was attacking had to have quite a bit of firepower behind them to accomplish that, especially in such a short time.

Lantira had been patrolling the outskirts of one of a number of small villages that surrounded the main colony, bedroom communities for the rich and powerful. She'd been hired on as private security by a bunch of turians who lived here and as jobs go it hadn't been too bad so far, aside from the cringingly bad passes one of them kept making at her. The light show as the whatever-they-were entered the atmosphere had been impressive but the finale had left something to be desired. She'd been expecting mushroom clouds and had been sorely disappointed.

One of the objects had crashed not too far from her position. That area was covered by a bunch of batarians; brothers from Khar'shan's lower caste that'd somehow gotten off world. They were about as intelligent as she'd expected peasants to be and she avoided socializing with them as much as possible. Still the thought of one of those idiots getting to the object before her grated on her nerves. If it was a warhead or something and they started poking at it they could all be dead.

Approaching the crash site she was surprised to find the batarians dead. Not just dead but by the looks of it they'd gone up against a biotic with an unhealthy love of grenades. One of the batarians was even hanging from a nearby wall; a large spike running through his chest pinning him to in place.

Raising her shotgun, Lantira inched closer, unsure if the threat was still around. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye made her spin, firing off a round that did nothing but shatter a decorative urn. A rustle to her right, movement in the shadows, a clattering sound from behind; Lantira was thoroughly unnerved. Suppressing her instinctual flight response as she made her way between two mansions, leaning up against the corner of one of them. Taking a deep breath she whipped around only to come face to face with something out of a nightmare.

It grabbed her shotgun, its unnatural strength ripping the weapon from her grip and throwing it across the yard. Lantira summoned her biotics and lashed out with a throw, the dark energy fields slamming into the intruder and sending it flying. It spun in mid-air, purple energy encompassing its body and allowing a graceful landing in a three-point crouch.

Lantira was surprised. That kind of biotic ability was remarkable, something she'd only ever encountered in another asari and a gifted one at that. And although its armor was both unfamiliar and intimidating the body structure was close to that of an asari right down to the structure of its hands. Her musings were cut off as it released a pulse of biotic energy that slammed her into a wall hard enough to crack one of her ribs.

Recovering she drew her pistol, lining up the sight and taking a shot at her opponent. It seemed to blink out of existence, appearing a moment later a few meters from its previous position. Clearly some sort of charge although its range was surprisingly short. She reacquired her target and it blinked out again, repeating its tactic. This continued for several more seconds, each blink bringing it closer. Finally fed up Lantira readied a shockwave and released it just as the interloper reappeared from its most recent displacement. The wave slammed into it but was stopped, a barrier blocking its effects.

"GODDESS DAMN YOU! FIGHT ME!" screamed the asari in frustration.

The stranger seemed to tilt its head to the side for a moment before shrugging. Another biotic field encompassed it, this time the purple mixing with yellow as it disappeared. A moment passed as Lantira prepared for its reappearance before something slammed into her from behind sending her sprawling, knocking the wind out of her. As she recovered from the impact she felt her hands being drawn behind her. A pair of handcuffs closed around her wrists and something cool was placed around her neck.

As she sat up Lantira tried to summon another biotic field unsuccessfully, a wave of numbness flowing over her. 'That explains that,' she thought. The object around her neck was a biotic dampener. She looked up at the stranger only now noticing the long tail idly wagging behind it. This wasn't an asari.

She stared up at is faceplate, once again noticing how unnerving it was. A long row of red lights lined each side of the upper half reminding her of some sort of insect while the mouth area extended into a snout, elongated well beyond the asari norm. It bent down, crouching in front of her and seemed to stare into her eyes.

"Not too bad," it spoke in clear unaccented Thessian. "If I hadn't caught you off guard this fight might've gone the other way."

"Who… what are you?" asked the asari matron, a twinge of fear betraying her.

"Torres," it said, the predatory smile clear in its voice. "Gunnery Sergeant Samone Torres of the Systems Alliance Hundred and First Orbital Shock Infantry. You?"

"Lantira L'roak. That's it, no rank."

"Well Lantira, what are you doing here?"

The asari inwardly sighed. Her fight was clearly over and now they were on to the interrogation.

"Look I'm just a guard. The turians who live here hired me on as security."

"And just who are these turians?"

"They're brokers in the main colony," she replied, cringing. It was never a good idea to admit you worked for slavers.

"Slave brokers?" it asked, all traces of merriment gone.

"Yes," she replied in a small voice. "Look it's not like I wanted to be here in the first place. I just don't have many options."

It seemed to be thinking about her response for a moment. "I know what that's like. And god knows I don't blame you for what your bosses do for a living." Samone had a choice at this point. Part of their orders was to acquire evidence of the activities of Torfan's residents. It was hoped that the slavers, complete with evidence of their crimes would make an excellent gift to the Citadel Council when it came time to make first contact.

Lantira watched as the soldier seemed to come to a decision. It cocked its head for a moment and like flowing water the helmet surrounding its face receded revealing an alien face. It was covered in short reddish fur; two large intelligent green eyes looking down at her. The top of its head had a pair of triangular ears, one of which twitched as she watched and above them was covered in stylized blond fur that ran down around its ears. All in all not an unattractive being.

"What are you," asked the asari, repeating her question from earlier.

"I'm human," it… she replied with another predatory grin, revealing a row of sharp canines. "We came here after one of our colonies was attacked by the slavers operating out of this colony.

That perked Lantira's interest. She'd heard about a group of slaves from a new race arriving a day earlier and had even seen a picture of them on the local news. But aside from the stylized fur this creature didn't come close to resembling them.

"I don't understand. Are you allied or something?"

Samone laughed at that. "No, they're human too." At the look of confusion she continued. "I'm a member of a subspecies of humanity, commonly known as an anthromorph. We're humans that have incorporated DNA from one or more non-sapient species into ourselves. In my case that DNA came from an animal called a fox, specifically a Cascade Mountain fox from our homeworld. My great grandparents were the first in our family born that way over eighty years ago."

Lantira was surprised. That kind of genetic engineering was widely illegal in Citadel space and quite uncommon even in the Terminus systems. "Why would they do that?"

"Well I don't think my grandparents had much of a choice, what with them being embryos at the time. As for why humans would alter themselves like this… well why not?" That clearly surprised the asari. "I take it that wasn't the answer you were looking for."

"No, such practices are widely outlawed on asari worlds."

Samone sighed at that. Great, more bigots. "Well they're not where I come from. Anyway maybe we should move on."

"Right. What're you going to do with me?"

"Well…," the soldier began, "I'll be blunt. We came here to make an example out of the people that attacked Horizon. We've already destroyed the fleet in orbit and I'm among the first wave of almost a hundred thousand marines that'll be landing over the next hour. Technically I've just captured you but…"

"But?"

"Look part of our orders are to round up as many slavers as possible. We'll try the ones that were responsible for the attack and the rest are going to be handed over to the Citadel for trial once we make formal first contact."

The thought of that sent a chill down Lantira's spine. She'd fled asari space after she's been caught with Matriarch Sal'ira's daughter. The matriarch had been less than pleased to say the least and had turned absolutely livid when her daughter had revealed she was pregnant with Lantira's child. That she'd been with the Mallene without the matriarch's permission was bad enough. But to father a pureblood child… that was far beyond the pale. And while the Asari Republics didn't have a formal way to exile someone, Sal'ira had done everything but. It got to the point where even being in her presence had become a stigma on Illium and the matriarch's reach was long, stretching to other worlds in Citadel space and parts of the Terminus. To be brought back in chains as a slaver… no she'd rather die.

"Look I don't care what I have to do. Just don't take me back please," she begged, all semblance of pride vanished. "I know things. Things about my employers. Where they keep their data, passwords, secret documents. I'll show you. Just please don't take me back."

Samone considered that for a moment. It took her only a few seconds to decide this was something she'd have to pass up the chain of command. Reaching up she tapped a point just behind her right ear, triggering her comm implant. "This is Gunny Torres. Major Tallmadge please come in."

A voice replied through her auditory implant, silent to Lantira but clear to the marine. "This is Tallmadge, what's up gunny?"

"I've captured an asari who claims to know of a large cache of evidence that could incriminate several turian slave brokers in the main colony. What should I do?"

There was silence for a few moments before a reply came through. "Do you think she can be trusted?"

"I think so sir. She's not a part of any of the mercenary gangs or slaver rings by the looks of her. Just someone down on her luck working a crappy security job."

Tallmadge chuckled at that, "Ok, you have my authority to release her. Should she come through with the data and if she doesn't turn on us we'll provide her with transport off world as a civilian instead of a prisoner. For the record what's her name?"

"Lantira L'roak."

"Understood. I'm updating our registries to classify her as an ally. Don't make me regret this gunny."

"Yes sir. Torres out," she concluded as the comm line went dead. Turning back to her captive the gunny pulled out her combat knife. "Well looks like you get a free pass," she said as she cut the asari's restraints off and removed the dampener from her neck. "But only if you show me where that evidence is."

"And if I do?" asked the asari, hope in her voice.

"Then we'll provide you transport off world and back to Alliance territory. Once we make formal contact with the Citadel we'll transport you back to them and you can go on your way from there."

"What if I don't want to go back?" asked the downtrodden asari.

"I guess you can stay if you want, immigrate and become an Alliance citizen. You wouldn't be the first alien to do so and there's no law against it."

Lantira looked up hopefully before something registered. "I thought you hadn't made first contact yet."

Torres just grinned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Come on," she said, offering the former commando a hand up, "why don't you show me where that evidence is."

* * *

General Robert Williams braced as the base settled on the hard surface of Torfan. He would be commanding the battle from the combat information center of the eighty-second MEU's home base which had been deposited by the SSV Bernard Montgomery on a flood plain twenty seven kilometers from the outskirts of the main colony.

Already they were receiving reports of significant combat taking place between OSI units and the local defenders in several outlying towns, the suburbs and of course within the main city itself. That wasn't unexpected and personally Williams preferred to get it out of the way now instead of having to deal with an extended insurgency. Not that the locals would get the chance of course.

"Sir, we've begun deploying our forces," reported Colonel Jonathon Manning, the eighty-second's CO.

"Very good colonel," replied the general. "And don't feel the need to report everything your people do to me. I'm don't like to micromanage my forces."

The colonel smiled at that. He'd heard good things about Williams. They were both veterans of the Second Frieden War and Manning personally remembered several disasters during that war when generals had tried to control things that were better left to the men on the ground.

"Once your people have fully deployed I want the eighty-second to begin an assault on the main colony's southern quarter."

Manning nodded at that as he studied the reconnaissance data from the orbiting UAVs. "That sector is primarily suburbs. It's going to be hell securing them but we'll get it done."

* * *

Lieutenant Chan Zheng smiled as he looked over his girl. A member of the marine's mecha corps; the three story tall war machine below was his responsibility and, with the exception of his girlfriend, the love of his life. There was just something so primal and satisfying about mecha he thought, compelling in a way that a tank or fighter could never be.

Mecha had found a niche within the vast array of armored vehicles employed by the corps. They were generally lighter than tanks, faster, more maneuverable and flexible but also more vulnerable than their older cousins. They filled many roles but were usually used as skirmishers, launching spoiling attacks and hit and runs against enemy formations. They'd also more or less replaced more conventional self-propelled artillery and anti-air units. Those however tended to be quadruped or spider mechs, their multiple legs making it possible for them to easily overcome terrain and provide stable firing platforms when moving.

His mech was a Hotaru-III model, the premiere assault mech of the service. Perhaps unsurprisingly it had been designed by a Japanese defense contractor and the Hotaru could be as graceful and beautiful in action as its namesake. It had shed the blocky layout of its ancestors; replaced with graceful lines and curves that made it almost human in appearance. This was of course not just aesthetics. Given modern armor technology the blocky designs and sharp angles of the past were less efficient at repelling damage than modern curved designs. The same went for everything from tanks to strike craft to warships. And there was the intimidation factor was well. Seeing something like his mech coming at you with a giant gun or sword was intimidating at the best of times. Add to that the Hotaru's modular mounting system and ability to easily adapt to changing combat conditions and you had a winning combination. And its defenses were second to none as well, ensuring that it would survive the rigors of a battlefield and bring its pilot home in one piece.

Currently his mecha, whom he'd named Haru after his girlfriend, was painted a deep maroon with silver highlights. Like most things in the Marine Corps personal customization was accepted within reason. He'd heard of a few fellow mech jocks getting in deep shit over some of their choices but generally speaking almost anything was acceptable as long as it didn't compromise combat performance. His entire squad had chosen to paint their machines in similar colors, announcing to both friend and foe their ties to each other.

Waving his hand over Haru's diagnostic console he noted that all of his systems were operational and the mech was ready for deployment. He quickly entered his armament selection and watched as a set of robotic arms surrounded the machine. Light blossomed from their tips as their integrated universal assemblers drew upon the base's stored resources and quickly manufactured the requested equipment, magnetically mounting it to the appropriate place when done.

"Hey LT," interrupted a quiet voice from behind.

Turning Chan was greeted by one of his command, a young man from Wyvern colony named Fern. Why his parents had named him that was an open mystery but Chan suspected they were Gaians from what little the corporal had told him. It would be just the name those environmentalists would choose for their only son.

"What's up Fern?"

"Just getting ready for deployment sir," he replied nervously. "Any last minute instructions?"

Chan smiled at that. Fern was technically still in training after which he'd probably become a lieutenant himself. The Alliance Armed Forces had a slightly different method of promotion than the militaries of the past, mostly as a consequence of modern technology. With the use of neural education techniques and memory implantation there wasn't a need for an enlisted corps anymore, at least not from a technical perspective. Every soldier, sailor and airman was given the knowledge that used to be reserved to officers due to time and cost constraints. This knowledge was assimilated with incredible speed; the time spent as a recruit lasting for only a month or so, most of which was taken up by physical conditioning and the augmentation procedures. Even someone in a technically demanding position such as a doctor or an engineer could learn the fundamentals of their trade with such speed.

The advantages of these methods were multifold. The Alliance could absorb loses that would've crippled militaries in the past and the soldiers themselves had far greater say over their career path. It also made them of greater utility to the military enabling an enlisted man or woman to assume another role within a unit in case of an emergency. And finally it ensured that the military really was both fair and allowed its soldier's ranks to truly reflect their potential; an ideal meritocracy. Promotions were based on skill, period. Skill at leading others, skill in your chosen field of duty and even in areas outside that specific focus that might improve your ability to do your job. The patronage and nepotism of previous centuries had long since gone the way of wooden aircraft, bolt action rifles and political interference in the procurement process.

As it was the enlisted ranks were mostly used for training purposes until a soldier was ready to assume the duties expected of an officer. There was a difference between knowledge and experience and while the implanted memories could provide the former, the latter only came with time. It also meant that no one was commissioned right out of basic; everyone started at the bottom regardless of education, origin or affiliation. It made the concept of mentorship critical to the armed forces' ability to grow and maintain its capability. It also made soldiering in the twenty-second century a very human profession.

Fern had joined the marines only a year earlier but had shown a great deal of talent when at the controls of a mech. Unfortunately he lacked confidence in himself and he wasn't very good at leading others. He also had the tendency to go lone wolf during a battle. While Chan had confidence that he'd mature; for the time being he was stuck as an enlisted. That'd not to say he still couldn't advance. There were sergeant majors in the corps that'd been in the service for decades but hadn't for one reason or other assumed a command. Some were specialists and tended to gravitate to the special warfare commands and from there into the separate Special Operations combatant command. Others simply didn't want to lead, preferring to serve in advisory or teaching positions. There wasn't a stigma attached to staying an enlisted and in fact some of the greatest talent could be found in the ranks of non-commissioned officers just as it always had been. NCOs were just rarer than they had been in the past.

"Just stick with me for this mission. We're going up against an enemy that we haven't fought before on their home turf. We've all seen the briefings and we know what intelligence has to say. But my dad has a saying: 'You can't know a man until you've faced him across a battlefield'. That goes double for an alien race that we barely knew existed before today."

"Understood sir. I'll watch your six."

"Good man. Now get to your mech," Chan finished, smiling as his charge scurried away.

Turning back to Haru, the lieutenant made a final check of his equipment. He was dressed in a cut down version of the Atlas known as a Rhea, named for another of the titans. It was slimmer and had less armor than its frontline cousin making it perfect for use in the enclosed space of a cockpit. Checking that his sidearm was holstered he engaged his helmet interface, the Rhea's assembler rapidly fabricating the enclosure as he climbed into his mech.

Like most vehicles used by the Alliance, the Hotaru had long ago done away with the concept of an exposed cockpit. In the case of mech the space was now located within the chest, an armored cocoon that would protect him even if the mech itself was nearly destroyed. This was fine as for the duration of the battle his body was going to be more or less in stasis, the cockpit filling with a jell to protect him from impacts. Data was fed to his mind directly through his neural lace and instructions passed to the mech the same way. It wasn't so much that he'd be operating Haru as he'd become a part of the machine, aided by a sophisticated but non-sapient synthetic intelligence.

Settling into the restraints he felt his senses fade away, gradually replaced with those of the machine. The process completed he began his post integration 'workout'. It would've been an incongruous sight to anyone unfamiliar with the procedure; watching a ten meter tall war machine go through a set of stretching exercises.

As he completed his tests and began the launch procedure, Chan felt a figurative smile cross his metallic face.

* * *

Talius jumped as something fell to the pavement in a nearby alleyway. Ever since the invasion had begun they'd been receiving reports from all over the colony and they were making him paranoid. It was a bad day to be a merc when the comm channels filled with words like 'unstoppable', 'invincible' and 'demons' with alarming frequency.

He himself hadn't actually encountered any of the invaders. His and Sirus had been assigned the job of protecting the office of one of the minor brokers that mostly dealt in Elcor. Not many people wanted one of those giants as a slave so the man in question couldn't afford a large security staff. Assuming he was still alive.

The office was located on the bottom floor of one of the many outlying skyscrapers that ringed the main slave compound in the center of the city. The colony had literally been built around the massive structure; more of an arcology than a building in fact. Talius wasn't particularly worried about the invaders making it this far. Most of the combat was taking place in the numerous small towns and villages that populated the surrounding countryside as well as the sprawling suburbs that surrounded the city proper. That was where the military bases and planetary defenses were located and logically those would be the main targets for an invading force. Between those suburbs and his location stood a massive wall that ringed the city center. Twelve stories tall, it served as bulwark to stop a ground invasion as well as the projector of the city's kinetic barrier dome.

There had of course been reports of infiltrators inside the city that had arrived in the first wave. Talius was still amazed by that. The technology for direct orbital insertion had only just recently been developed and as far as he knew only turian Special Forces and groups like salarian STG and the Spectres used it. But that system used coffin-like pods to survive reentry and were incredibly expensive due to the miniature mass effect cores they required to survive the impact of landing. The idea of jumping out of a ship with nothing but the armor on your back was like something out of science fiction. Or at least it had been before today.

"You think they'll attack us?" asked Sirus, watching for invaders from a window.

"I hope not," replied the turian. "Those reports we heard from Chi Company were pretty scary."

"You really believe that they were attacked by mechanical varren with claws that can rip you in half? I think someone had too much ryncol last night."

Talius chuckled, "I hope your right. Robotic varren. What's next, cyborg pyjaks?"

Sirus was about to respond when the sound of shattering glass caught their attention. It had come from inside the office and the two rushed to investigate. Stacking up beside the door Talius peaked around the corner and felt his adrenaline spike. Sitting calmly in the entranceway was a large quadrupedal mech, calmly wagging its lizard-like tail. He could see how it could be mistaken for a varren but varren didn't carry guns, weren't made of metal and didn't have that many teeth. He winced as he looked at its feet; the folded claws there covered in blue and green.

'It hadn't seen us yet or maybe it doesn't consider us a threat,' he thought. Either way he wasn't eager to engage. Eclipse made extensive use of mechs but those were simplistic, awkward things that moved like puppets on a string and were about as smart as a toaster oven. He could see intelligence in this thing's movements, like the great stalking cats of his homeworld. Looking beyond the blood splattered machine he could see a bipedal figure calmly searching the office. Its back was turned to them and Talius drew his sniper rifle. Maybe if they took out the mech's master it wouldn't attack them. Maybe they could even capture it.

Talius turned to Sirus and communicated his plan using hand signals, receiving a nod in return. Peaking around the corner again he lined up his rifle, sighting it on the intruder's head. He steadied his breathing, not an easy task under the circumstances and tightened his finger on the trigger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," whispered a voice in his ear. Spinning he came face to face with the intruder, a pistol held not five centimeters from his head. Chancing a glance down he noticed Sirus on the ground, blood oozing from a gash on his forehead.

"What… how?" The intruder seemed to smile, the pistol inching closer to his head.

"Put your weapon on the ground and maybe you'll live long enough to find out," replied the invader.

A split second passed as he considered his options. He might be able to knock the pistol from the stranger's hand but could he do that before it pulled the trigger? Talius wasn't eager to find out and the gun was within his barrier's minimum effective range. Slowly, so as not to show even the slightest hint of aggression he lowered the rifle to the ground.

"Now your sidearm and that knife you thought you concealed in your boot," it said and Talius complied, removing the weapons from their holsters and placing them beside his rifle.

"Good. Now stand up and back away from them. Slowly," it added unnecessarily.

Talius did as he was told. When he was finally told to stop he winced realizing he had been directed into the office; the mech brushing passed his leg as it returned to its master's side. He could see the figure in the office as it continued its search, seemingly uninterested in the scene. The stranger noted his gaze and waved its hand in the direction of its comrade. It seemed to shimmer and then disappeared.

Talius let out a groan. A hologram. He'd been taken in by a freaking holographic decoy. A first year cadet could've seen through something so simple. The invader let out a chuckle.

"So I guess I'm your prisoner now," concluded the turian.

"Yep. Your name?"

"Talius Nazario."

"Well Talius Nazario by the looks of that armor you're wearing, you belong to one of the mercenary gangs here."

Talius nodded, really regretting it at the moment. "Eclipse. I'm just a low ranking member." The stranger nodded as it lowered its weapon and replaced it on its hip. Interestingly it didn't compact itself like the weapons he was familiar with.

"Well that explains what you're doing guarding an empty office in the middle of an invasion. I guess your bosses didn't trust the two of you enough for anything more important."

Talius felt his anger rise. "I'm not some green rookie!"

That made the stranger chuckle again. "Could've fooled me. Now be a good little recruit and put these on," it said, tossing him a pair of handcuffs. "Behind your back if you please."

Talius sighed. Never should've left the military.

* * *

Chan whooped as the enemy tank exploded.

The aliens were putting up one hell of a fight to protect their base. The sprawling compound sat to the colony's south, five minutes from the outer edge of the suburbs and surrounded by a thick forest. The approaches were covered by stationary defense cannons and the facility itself was protected by its own kinetic barrier dome.

His squad had been assigned to the vanguard of the attack to capture the place and so far it had been pretty damned fun. They'd moved in with the other skirmisher elements of the eighty-second's third armored company. Surrounding them were hover tanks and Fenris mechs, the small wolf-like machines that could tear through infantry like death himself was pissed at them.

Their first engagement had been with a formation of wheeled vehicles that had been on patrol three clicks from the base itself. If you could call it an engagement, he grinned to himself. They'd caught them with their pants down coming out of the forest. Jamming had completely crippled the enemy's surveillance network which made the ambush even easier. The tanks had gone up like firecrackers on the Fourth of July under a barrage from their rifles. Chan would've pitied them had they chosen a different profession. As it was the sight of that armor lighting up was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

They'd continued on to the base and encountered another formation of enemy armor; bigger and better armored then before. As one they'd swiveled their turrets to face his squad and opened fire; a round slamming into Haru like a punch to the face. Chan noticed his barriers were holding and raised his rifle to return fire.

For this mission he'd chosen an all energy loadout. Intelligence claimed that the enemy only had kinetic barriers and he didn't want to waste time screwing around with shields. His main weapon was an M/M-233K Neutron Burst Rifle, one of the more common weapons employed by marine mecha. Green bolts poured from its muzzle and his target melted under the assault; its barriers barely flaring in protest.

Turning his attention to another of the offending tanks, Chan readied a straight shot only to see it go up in fire.

"You're slipping LT," yelled the voice of Fern over the comm. "That's three."

Chan chuckled as he swept his gaze over an approaching formation of IFVs and fired off one of his other weapons. On both of Haru's shoulders pods flew open and spewed missiles. The small projectiles arced overhead and descended on personnel carriers, detonating in small purple explosions as the mini-disruptor warheads ripped them apart.

"You were saying?"

"That's cheating."

"All's fair in love and war," Chan said, melting another tank with a full auto barrage.

A bark of laughter returned, "There're many things you can call this battle. Fair ain't one of them."

Returning his attention to the battle Chan was just in time to see a yellow streak impale his next target. Turning to the source he groaned. A path of flattened trees marked the passage of what many referred to as less an armored vehicle and more of a mobile building. An M97 Super-Heavy Battle Tank, better known as the Tyrannosaur emerged from the devastated foliage. If the mecha of the Marine Corps were designed to be graceful and fast, this tank was the exact opposite. At almost forty meters long the Tyrannosaur was the second largest assault vehicle in service; only surpassed by the even more massive Monolith, a gargantuan siege mech that was only ever deployed against hardened planetary fortresses. He'd once heard it referred to as a Babylon Gun that'd grown legs and having looked up the reference he agreed. That thing could probably down a fully shielded frigate if it got low enough.

The Tyrannosaur wasn't just big either. It carried two massive 115mm railguns that had a muzzle velocity of mach twenty with a pair of under-mounted 35mm neutron beam cannons. Four coaxial rotary laser cannons, three independent secondary plasma bolter turrets, six pincer cannons, a four cell VLS missile launcher and its own SAM battery completed the package.

Chan watched stunned as it opened up on the surviving enemy formation. Plasma belched from its railguns as it sent a pair of rounds down range, literally ripping its target in half as its plasma bolters opened up on its immediate neighbors. Those melted in seconds, joined by yet another tank as green beams of neutron energy cut into it. Already the enemy had begun a retreat; their haste increased as a second Tyrannosaur came crashing through the forest surrounded by smaller M212 Gabriel main battle tanks.

The smile returned to Chan's face as another tank exploded.

* * *

General Tyrius watched as another of his tanks exploded under bombardment from another of the green beams. As the commander of Maeneus Base, the single largest military installation on Torfan, he had almost twenty thousand soldiers under his direct command and a mandate to protect the colony from any and all invaders.

That wasn't going so well at the moment.

His base has been under siege for the past twenty minutes and he was already receiving reports of enemy penetration in more than a dozen areas. He'd never seen an enemy like these invaders before. Their weaponry was beyond anything any of the major civilizations employed, their armor was damned near impenetrable and their barriers could turn back rounds from even his biggest guns. At one point he'd had to order the surface to orbit cannons turned on one of those giant tracked monstrosities that were crushing his tanks, sometimes quite literally.

It had taken fifteen rounds from seven separate emplacements to bring down its shields and another six to penetrate its armor. And the damned thing still wasn't dead; one of its brethren moving in to cover it while the cannons were recharging. They never got a chance to fire a second salvo. The enemy had complete air superiority, his air defenses and atmospheric fighters having been slaughtered in the opening minutes of the assault. They'd bombed the cannons with some sort of disintegrative weapon and now all that was left of the massive weapons was grey dust.

As for the tank, it had already returned to the battle, the damage repairing itself before his startled eyes.

"Sir they've broken through Captain J'thon's company," reported one of his aids.

"Send Javari's company to plug the gap."

"We lost contact with them three minutes ago," replied the soldier apologetically.

"Spirits," cursed the old turian. He could see the invaders swarming over the hastily dug trenches in that sector, his few remaining soldiers throwing their arms up in surrender. The casualty reports had been staggering; thirty percent of his men dead in the first fifteen minutes alone. The aliens were using actual energy weapons against his men and they were biotics, every last damned one of them. One of his surviving asari majors had remarked that their skills were easily on par with those of a matron, in some cases even a young matriarch.

Worse yet was their support. Their mechs were centuries beyond anything he'd ever seen. The small varren-like ones were tearing through his infantry and the larger ones were practically dancing circles around his armor. Their tanks, artillery, anti-air units, personnel carriers… this was what he imagined fighting an army of Protheans would be like. Maybe worse.

"Sir, what are your orders?" asked the same aid.

That was the question. The base was lost and that was a problem that wasn't going to change no matter how many bodies he threw at it. They were encircled, outgunned and hundreds of enemy soldiers had already breeched his lines. "Order all forces to lay down their weapons and surrender. We've lost this battle."

The look on his aid's face was something he'd remember for the rest of his life. He'd trained these people and taken them from a collection of mercenaries to a real army. Their equipment was second to none, their leaders were battle-hardened and their skill was among the greatest in the entirety of the Terminus Systems. And these damned aliens had defeated them in half an hour.

He just hoped they wouldn't slaughter the lot of them.

* * *

"Sir, all enemy forces in the vicinity of base alpha-one are standing down," reporting one of the officers manning the CIC.

"Good," replied General Williams. "I guess they have some brains after all. And the forces in the city?"

"Still fighting. Apparently they believe they still have a chance to beat us."

The evil smile crossed the general's face. "Let's change their minds shall we. Order the twenty-second strike wing to begin attacks on the walls."

"Yes sir."

A series of screams pierced the air over the city, the thrumming of pulse detonation engines mixed with the howl of scramjets that announced the arrival of a wing of F-511A Scimitar attack fighters. Their sleek shapes descended from altitude as they carried out their orders; forward-swept wings ensuring stability during their attack runs.

There were no cockpits aboard; none were needed. Each was manned by a synth and they used their superior reaction times to weave through the anti-air fire from atop Torfan's walls. Blinding red/white beams of light speared out and impaled generators that maintained the barrier dome that covered the center of the colony. With most of its generators lost, the dome lost stability and collapsed leaving the walls vulnerable to the next phase of the attack. Doors opened on the bellies of the fighters, missiles dropping and igniting.

Each missile slammed into a separate section of the armored barrier that ringed the city, detonating in a flash of purple light. For most of the pirates their first thought was disruptor weaponry; a thought that was quickly disproven. From the impact points rolling waves radiated out, passing over the entire structure. The wall was made from starship grade armor plating that gleamed silver; but not anymore. As the seconds passed it turned a dull grey and then fell to dust as the controlled nanite detonations tore at the metal's intra-molecular bonds. Forty-six seconds after impact structural integrity failed and the entire edifice collapsed, the remains already blowing away in the wind.

* * *

Enton was terrified. When the attack came her security detail had insisted that she take shelter in the main structure. She found herself ushered into a secure bunker almost half a kilometer beneath the surface watching the aliens destroy everything she'd worked years to build. There had been some hope that the wall would stop them but that had gone up in literal dust before her eyes. What remained of the colony's security systems showed the invaders swarming the city; brutally putting down any resistance. It took only minutes for them to surround the slave compound itself.

Then they'd stopped.

"Ma'am," interrupted one of her guards, "we're receiving a transmission."

"From whom?" asked the batarian, dreading the answer.

"It claims to be the commander of the invaders."

Enton sighed at that, her worst fears confirmed. "Put it up," she said, gesturing to her terminal.

The image that appeared put to rest any doubts as to who they were. The being was a close analogue of an asari with greying fur on its head and clearly a match for the syndicate's most recent acquisitions. "This is General Robert Williams of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps. Who am I speaking to?"

"My name is Enton Malar, chief operations director of the Ha'rasa Syndicate. Why have you invaded our world?"

While Enton couldn't claim to be an expert, the look the alien gave her was not a kind one. "You know damned well why we're here."

"Then why have you called?"

It seemed to smile, baring its small teeth a little as it narrowed its eyes. "Because prisoners are preferable to corpses."

That caught her attention. Surely they wouldn't go to all this trouble only to kill their people as an act of revenge. "I don't believe you'd sacrifice your own kind just for revenge."

The alien let out an ugly atonal sound; laughter she guessed. "I wasn't talking about the slaves."

Her eyes widened in horror as understanding set in. They wanted her alive as an example.

The alien seemed to be better at reading her than she was it. "Now you're getting the idea."

"Surrender," Enton said flatly as her mind raced. There had to be some way out of this. "And if I refuse?"

"Then we'll take the compound by force, knock you unconscious and turn you over to your victims," Williams replied. "Your choice. If you surrender you'll at least have the chance to throw yourself upon the mercy of our courts," the general said. He left out that slaving was one of the few crimes in the Alliance for which capital punishment was still practiced. "I doubt your victims will show you the same kindness."

"Can I have a moment to decide?"

"No," replied the general. "Make your choice. Now."

Enton sighed at that. Her eyes flicked over the status of her remaining forces. Most of Torfan's military was dead or had surrendered, the colony had been overrun and there were less than five hundred guards left in the building. "What are your terms?"

"Unconditional. Your remaining forces will lay down their weapons and deactivate any remaining defenses. Any further resistance will be met with lethal force. You will present yourself to the arriving marine forces which will take you into custody. Any attempts to harm the captives or wipe computer memory will be considered further resistance and will be dealt with harshly. Understood?"

"Yes," she growled.

"Good."

* * *

Lieutenant Marty Jefferson felt the bile rise in his throat. His squad was one of several hundred assigned to secure the holding pens and it wasn't a job he'd been looking forward to. What he'd found upon entering the massive holding rooms was far, far worse than he'd ever expected. The poor bastards were crammed fifty at a time into electrified cages with just barely enough room to sit down. The stench of excrement, sweat and urine was so strong that he'd had to adjust his filters just to be able to breathe normally.

It hadn't taken long to find the Horizon colonists herded together in one corner of the cavernous space. According to intelligence almost twelve thousand had been taken from the colony, enough to fill almost two hundred and fifty of the filthy enclosures; separated by gender and age. He could see their naked bodies covered in bruises and cuts, undoubtedly from their 'training' or just for the hell of it. And they were all bald; their skin red and cracked where their hair had been burned off by some sort of chemical agent. The sight of a little girl no older than eight with blood flowing down her face and an eye swollen shut made him wish he could have a few minutes alone with one of the guards and a crowbar.

Surrounding the comparatively small group of human captives were the aliens. He'd been briefed on the various races but he could only see asari, salarians and turians in the immediate area. With the last of the slavers having been rounded up, personnel from the hospital ships had swarmed the compound aided the marines. But there were over two hundred thousand people in these cages and only twelve thousand relief personnel to help them.

Marty found himself in front of one cage filled with asari. Examining them he could see they were terrified and he removed his helmet and gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile. That seemed enough to get them to back away from the door as he ripped it from its hinges; the grateful captives flooding out around him.

He smiled at that. Nothing made you feel ten feet tall and made of steel like rescuing a bunch of people from slavery; something he'd had some experience with unfortunately. Slaving in Alliance territory was extremely dangerous and those caught doing it didn't live very long. But even with the draconian punishments in place, people still tried to make a living by depriving others of their freedom. It sickened him to think that he and those parasites were members of the same race.

His thoughts were interrupted by one of the captives. She was kneeling beside another asari, holding her hand and crying. Approaching he could see the second captive was badly injured; his armor's scans isolating several major wounds. "Medic!"

A woman in a white lab coat hurried over carrying a med-kit. "What do we have lieutenant?" she asked as she began examining the fallen asari.

"I found her lying on the ground after I let the captives out."

"Please, you have to help her," cried the second alien. "I can't lose her."

"I'll do everything I can…"

"Saphyria. Saphyria T'Los. This is my sister Sei. We were captured while on vacation."

The doctor nodded, speaking in soft tones she hoped would calm the girl. "I will do everything in my power to help your sister Saphyria. But I need you to let me."

The distraught girl nodded, backing up a bit to give the doctor room to work. "Thank you doctor…?"

"Chakwas, Karin Chakwas."

* * *

General Williams watched the procession of aliens board one of the landed transports, a scowl on his face. The colony had been secured and care was being dispensed to the would-be slaves. He'd ordered the rest of the colony secured under twenty four hour martial law until the evacuation was completed.

The reports he'd received on the condition of the captives had darkened his mood considerably, enough to completely erase any joy he might've felt upon learning not one of his marines had died during the operation. They found evidence of torture, mutilation, forced implantation, rape, medical experimentation; and that was just what they'd found at present. The historical data mined from their database had reported records of even worse crimes having taken place in the past including mass murder on a scale that was hard to imagine. Not all at once course; that would cut into profit margins. But Torfan had been in operation for almost a half century and the number that had died over those decades from mistreatment was easily in the high six digits.

It was inconceivable to him that the Citadel hadn't done anything about these monsters. Tens of millions of their own citizens had been brutally enslaved and still they ignored the problem or launched useless diplomatic protests. If parliament had tried the same thing in a similar situation they'd all be impeached en mass. Well things were going to change even if those cowards weren't willing to do anything about it. He doubted this would be the last 'example' the Alliance would have to make of these brutes, especially with first contact coming up.

His gaze shifted to another of the transports, this one surrounded by marines. Two of the twenty, eight-hundred meter long vessels had been configured as prison ships and as he watched he could see the procession of captives being marched aboard. Many had been wounded during the fighting but while none were likely to die from their wounds, many were still injured. 'Tough shit,' he thought with a grim smile. A lot of them wouldn't be alive in a few months anyway.

"Sir, the updated schedule," interrupted one of his aids.

Taking the proffered slate he quickly reviewed the data, "Is this accurate?"

"Yes sir. We should have the last of the slaves transferred to the allocated transports or the hospital ships by 1400 hours. Evacuation of the remaining colonists will be completed twenty-six hours later."

"Good," replied the general as he dismissed the aid. He was looking forward to getting off this god forsaken rock. There was something unclean about the place and just looking at the main colony made him feel like he needed a shower.

Well it wouldn't be troubling him for much longer.

* * *

Lantira watched open mouthed as another of the human transports took off, the dreadnought sized vessel ascending like a fighter before boosting for orbit.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," commented her companion, Gunny Torres with a grin. "Just wait until you see an Avalon. Damned thing is forty-eight kilometers long."

The former commando turned to the anthromorph, trying to find any signs of deception on her face. With a sinking feeling she realized the marine was being completely serious. She decided to change the subject. "What happens to me now?"

"You'll stay with me until we return to Alliance space. Technically I'm responsible for you and knowing Major Tallmadge that won't end until we get back to New Alexandria. From there I assume you'll be handed over to Military Intelligence for debriefing."

That made the asari nervous and it showed. "They won't… I mean I helped you and everything."

"What?" asked the marine before she realized what was being implied. "No; god no. They'll ask you a bunch of questions but they won't hurt you. Physical abuse or torture is strictly illegal and any member of the Armed Forces found to be committing such crimes would be promptly arrested, court-martialed and imprisoned."

That made Lantira relax. Despite the brutality of their attack it was pleasing to know they were a civilized race. "Well then I look forward to seeing your world."

"New Alexandria isn't my world," replied the marine. "Just our capital in the Attican Traverse. Our homeworld is beyond the Gateway relay in the Local Cluster."

That surprised the asari. She'd assumed they were just an undiscovered race from the deep Traverse. The region was huge and most of it remained unexplored. "This Gateway, is it a primary relay?"

"Yep," replied the marine as the two boarded a small four wheeled vehicle; the driver taking off towards a massive structure in the distance. "Why?"

"It's just; well the turians might have a problem with you activating a relay without their permission."

Samone cocked her head at that. "And how exactly were we supposed to ask for permission when we didn't even know the turians existed at the time?"

Lantira chuckled, "Well that's the catch isn't it? Personally I find the Council's rules pretty idiotic sometimes. I'm just saying it's something to be aware of."

Samone turned her head to the asari, a cruel smile crossing her muzzle. "If they want a war then I'm sure the brass would be delighted to oblige them."

Lantira just smiled back while inwardly reflecting upon how once again, these people had scared the piss out of her.

* * *

The city stood deserted, the fires having long since been extinguished. A screaming echoed through the empty streets as an aircraft flew over, its powerful sensors probing for any signs of life. Satisfied there were none it came about, ascending rising until it was just a speck. The entire area was covered in a grey haze, carbon dust hanging heavy in the air. The horizon was lit up in yellows and oranges as the sun slowly set.

A flash of light eclipsed the region; the pure energy of matter/antimatter annihilation covering the region. The colony and everything within two hundred kilometers ceased to exist in a nanosecond; a massive shockwave radiating outward that incinerated another five hundred kilometers beyond. Had anyone been there to hear it, a massive thunderclap exploded from the epicenter as air rushed in to fill the void left by the detonation.

Observing from orbit General Williams nodded in satisfaction. All that remained of the colony was a glassy crater, orbit above littered with the debris from hundreds of destroyed ships. The Alliance vessels broke orbit, space around them warping as their sensor swarms returned then darkening as they prepared for a fold jump.

Among the debris floated a small asteroid, its innards hollowed out to provide room for sensors and communications gear. It watched unblinkingly as the task force disappeared into the crimson windows and the ether beyond. Had it been sapient it might have stood in awe. As it was it simply fulfilled its programming, transmitting its data to the nearest comm buoy.

The transmission, coded with a priority tag only slightly lesser than that of the Citadel Council itself, flashed across thousands of light years to arrive on an alien world.

An alarm sounded alerting the watch officer to a priority communique. Turning to his console his large black eyes widened. Downloading the data to his slate he jumped up and ran for the door and the elevator beyond. Entering he placed his hand on a panel, small needles sampling his DNA and granting him authorization to travel to the top floor; the doors closing and the car rocketing upwards. He was so focused on the data that he didn't notice the view outside the window. Beyond the elevator a flock of birds flew by, their mating cries echoing over the jungles of Sul'kesh.


	4. Chapter Three - Movements

**Chapter Three – Movements**

_Undisclosed Location_

_February 1, 2152_

The room was cavernous, a dark open space that twinkled from the light of the red giant beyond its panoramic windows; crimson warring with ebony for dominance. The floor was a continuous stretch of glass polished to a mirror shine inlayed with tiny gemstones that mimicked an endless expanse of stars. The walls lit with data; holographic waterfalls streaming down their dark surfaces while overhead newsfeeds chattered quietly from across Alliance space and beyond. And in the center of the room sat a long mahogany conference table surrounded by black leather chairs; its deep lacquered surface both at home and wildly out of place in the otherwise empty space.

Of course the room didn't exist; couldn't exist. The star filling the windows was too close, the radiation too intense for any transparent material to withstand. The room's very nature represented an incredible structural weakness for any spacecraft and the floor was so highly polished that anyone trying to cross it would unceremoniously slip and fall on their ass. No this environ was nothing but data passing through entangled particles and across the quantum foam. It was a figment of its owners' imagination, an illusion that existed for as long as they bade it and was just as easily dismissed.

Around the table sat some of the most powerful people in the galaxy, their faces serious as they discussed the events that had brought them together. Some were recognizable, famous even while others were complete unknowns; all united by a single purpose. They were the watchdogs, the protectors of the human race; their presence elevated to mythical status in the eyes of the public and yet misunderstood by all but a few.

They were Cerberus.

There had been a time when they wouldn't have known each other's identities for fear of infiltration. It was a bit of theatrics that had long since passed into the realm of fiction along with fedoras and trench coats and they were glad for it.

"So it's finally happened," commented one, an older man with greying hair. His accent spoke of a life spent in the cold reaches of Russia. "All according to plan."

"Our plan didn't include an attack on one of our colonies," replied another, her voice digitized perfection. "Nor did it include the murder of twenty-seven thousand people or the brutalization and near enslavement of another twelve."

The first man dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. "It will serve our purposes."

"I'm more concerned about the disruption to our schedule," commented another, this one a tiger-morph with a Brooklyn accent. "We hadn't planned for first contact to take place for another three years. The situation in the Terminus hasn't advanced far enough yet."

"It'll still work," countered the Russian. "While we'd hoped that the powers there would've received a few other pieces of technology, the plasma cannons and shields will be enough."

"And god help us if they find out we deliberately allowed those leaks to occur," commented the synth. "I'm still very uncomfortable letting those savages have access to Frieden tech."

"It was necessary," spoke the morph. "The Council won't believe us when we tell them about the Reapers, regardless of whatever Javik says. Their history is one of willful ignorance; they'll bury their heads in the sand and ignore the problem. This is the best way of preparing them for their eventual return without running into resistance."

"So we say we're sorry and hand over some of our tech to counter the growing menace," sighed the synth. "And all the while Cerberus looks incompetent."

"We're not here for our pride's sake," commented the man at the head of the table, speaking for the first time. "Our duty is to protect the human race. A Citadel too weak to defend themselves doesn't serve our agenda. Nor does having the Alliance fleet stretched too thin covering them to launch a proper counterattack. The decision has been made."

"It had to be the quarians and the batarians," sighed the morph. "Of all the races out there it had to be those two."

"Not an optimal situation I agree," replied the Russian. "But we can make it work to our advantage. The Migrant Fleet is one of the largest collections of ships in the galaxy and most of them can fight."

"I agree. They're falling apart," said the synth, "but we can help them with that. The Navy has a lot of fifth gens awaiting the breakers. Have them transferred to the quarians instead. Combine that with nano-augmentation tech and they'll practically be lining up to join us. My concern is they'll be too shortsighted to see that in the face of… well…"

"What, the forty-seven billion synths that call the Alliance home?" finished the morph. "I seriously doubt that'll be a major problem. They're intelligent beings and despite what happened with the geth; they'll put aside their hatred and move forward. If three hundred years of exile has taught the quarians anything, it's pragmatism."

"Do we have people in place to greet the Pathfinder?"

"Yes," replied the synth. "Two operatives on Viery Station above New Alexandria. One of them will be in on all interactions with those two."

"Of greater concern is the shitstorm brewing in the media," commented the Russian as he gestured to the feeds above. "The public knows something happened on Horizon and that a task force from the Second Fleet was dispatched on a combat mission. We may've been able to cover this up had it been in the Local Cluster but there aren't any enemies, well known enemies at any rate, to fight in the Traverse. People are demanding answers."

"We could've never covered something like this up. This isn't the 2020s anymore," countered the synth. She had been the one responsible for running the Echelon IV system after all.

"God damned pacifists," muttered the morph.

"Also irrelevant," commented the leader. "In our society the free flow of information is paramount and it is not our jobs to run interference for the government. Let the administration and the military deal with that mess. The concern here is what the other factions will do in response and how or if we need to manipulate those actions to our benefit."

"The Terminus powers are easy," commented the Russian with a cruel smile. "They'll spend the next month chasing their tails trying to find out just what the hell happened. Say what you want about the military but when they want to clean up a problem they do a damned good job. There isn't anyone left on or above Torfan that can give an eye witness account."

"And the Citadel?" asked the leader.

"They're a different problem. We left that STG 'stealth' satellite in orbit intact. No doubt the Salarian Union already knows exactly what happened and from there it's only a skip, hop and a jump to the Council itself. And remember that they've been somewhat aware of our existence for the past few years. Those amphibians can add two and two as well as anyone."

"So we can be fairly confident that the council will find out in the next few days," confirmed the leader.

"Yes but we'll also know when that happens," replied the synth. "We still have our operative in C-Sec to alert us to any major changes."

"That leaves the Friedens and their Knight puppeteers," commented the morph with more than a little distaste. "I doubt the Horizon raid will have much of an immediate impact but the following first contact will."

"You think they'll go to war again?"

"Those plasma cannons we allowed them to sell netted a cool three hundred billion Citadel credits," replied the morph. "The shields supplied another five hundred. The amount of raw materials they were able to buy and ship back to Union space, not to mention all the ship hulls they've gotten their hands on…"

"And upgraded," interjected the synth. "The Union has equipped their warships with fifth generation tech; despite all the actions we've undertaken to sabotage them. That poses a major threat to the Alliance."

"True, but with our switch to sixth…"

"That's my point," she replied irritably. "Every day that passes we get stronger at a faster rate than they do. In the wake of the Horizon attack the Navy'll have to divert resources to the Traverse including a significant portion of our next gen fleet. We'll never be as weak as we are now."

"That is true," conceded the morph, "but they still can't win."

"Since when have fanatics ever considered the possibility of defeat?" asked the Russian dismissively. "They attack and we'll crush them."

"Do they know about the nuclear suppressors yet?" asked the leader.

"No," replied a voice as another avatar joined the conference, this of a Caucasian man with greying hair dressed in a lab coat. "Sorry I was late but I had to check on one of my projects."

"It's quite alright," replied the leader.

"To answer your question no, they don't," he replied. "The prototypes have been kept under lock and key. If and when the war resumes we'll be able to release the tech to the Alliance and they can use it to put those bastards down once and for all."

The room nodded at that. If there was one thing that every member of Cerberus enjoyed, it was the thought of the destruction of the Frieden Union and their masters.

"Should we activate Project Typhon?" asked the scientist.

The room fell silent at that, the color of the star cooling in reaction to their collective mood.

"It's time I think," ventured the morph. "We've always said that we'd finally pull the trigger when first contact occurred."

"Are you sure?" replied the Russian. "Typhon is…"

"The Reapers are coming," said the leader, a tone of finality in his voice. "We've seen the signs. The Protheans have told us what to look for and we've learned a lot from Project Cuttlefish."

"Don't remind me," shivered the scientist. "I lost my whole team to that god damned thing."

The room nodded in sympathy. They all remembered the incident.

"Do it," said the leader.

"Understood," replied the scientist as his avatar disappeared.

"I think that concludes this meeting," continued the leader as he stroked his pointed beard. "Make sure your cells are aware of the situation and proceed as per plan phoenix."

The others nodded; the morph and the Russian disappearing.

"Are you sure about this Patrick?" asked the synth, standing and placing her hand on his shoulder.

He seemed to consider that for a moment as he turned to look at the star beyond. "Honestly? No I'm not. But dad left Cerberus in my hands when he and mom… well I'd like to think they'd approve of my stewardship so far."

"Adam wasn't perfect god knows," reflected the woman, lost in her memories for a moment. "For all the time I knew him, for all the years I followed him he was certainly capable of making mistakes."

"Eliza, we're not perfect; none of us," replied Patrick as he looked up at her. "I guess that's what separated dad from Page; the acknowledgement of that fact."

"Just so long as you never lose sight of that," replied the synth with a smile. She took a step back and Eliza Cassan, humanity's first synthetic child disappeared.

As he continued to stare out the window, Patrick Jensen, the son of the so-called 'Illusive Man' let out a sigh. "God I hope I'm right," he said to the empty room as he too disappeared; the artificial world vanishing with him.

* * *

_Sarif Industries Development Facility_

_Groom Lake, Nevada_

Exiting his office Doctor Robert Savage couldn't wipe the grin from his face. Unlike his colleagues he was ecstatic that Typhon was finally given the go ahead. It was the culmination of his life's work, and his mother's and his grandmother's and great grandfather's before him. And he would finally see the results of that work; almost two centuries in the making.

"Good news?" asked his assistant, a young woman by the name of Samantha Halsey; a graduate of the California Institute of Technology.

"You could say that. The council has given us the go ahead to activate Typhon."

That brought her to a halt. Typhon was to be the single greatest weapon Cerberus had in its arsenal. "I've seen the news. It this in response to…"

"Yeah, that and an incident the Pathfinder had with a slaver frigate at around the same time. Blew it to pieces and rescued a pair of quarians on their pilgrimage. The whole world'll be learning of that in a few days."

"God," said the young doctor. "I never imagined this would finally happen."

Robert nodded. They both knew what Typhon meant. There had always been an unacknowledged hope that it would never be needed, that there would be some way the human race could wall itself off from the rest of the galaxy and hide from the horrors that lay therein. Childish perhaps but human nature none the less.

The two came to a pair of blast doors; warning labels decorating their surface. A wave of energy swept over the duo; an intense molecular scan that probed for any signs of deception. Satisfied with the results the doors parted to grant them access to the lab beyond.

It was far from the largest room in the expansive facility but it was certainly the most secure. At the center stood a suspension tank surrounded by a plethora of state of the art instruments and holographic readouts. In the center of the tank, suspended in stasis jell was a human fetus; grey and undeveloped. It had no sex, no name, no life and yet it was still an awe inspiring sight. Project Typhon, named for the last and greatest child of Gaia, a monster that had faced and, at least temporarily defeated Zeus himself.

Robert didn't envy the shoes this kid would be expected to fill.

Typhon was perhaps the single greatest accomplishment of the biotech revolution, a biologically perfect human being descended from the D-Project of the Illuminati. Its genetic structure, actually synthetic xeno-nucleic acid or XNA, had been constructed base pair by base pair using samples from thousands of people accessed through the Alliance's genetic registry and further augmented with material from over three hundred non-sapient life forms; terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Not a single flaw existed anywhere; any malformed cells ruthlessly destroyed by its symbiotic pseudo-organic nanites. Hundreds of eezo nodules dotted its nervous system, precisely placed and formed for optimal control and potential. It would be a powerful biotic, far beyond even the best of the Marines or even Cerberus' own Dragoons.

"Have we found a suitable family?" asked Robert as he continued to observe his creation.

"Yes. Mark and Hannah Shepard, both residents of Los Angeles. Hannah is a member of the Navy with a rank of Lieutenant Commander. Currently serving as the tactical officer of the cruiser SSV Solaris. She's a prodigy they say, one of the best tacticians in the First Fleet. Cerberus will ensure her career continues to advance without interruption. Mark is a professor of theoretical quantum mechanics at my alma mater. I actually audited one of his classes once. Got a headache just trying to follow his introduction. Man's scary smart."

"Both are Cerberus?"

"Affiliates only. They've both worked with us in the past and are considered alphas," she said, referring to Cerberus' in house ranking system. Alphas were considered top notch potential assets. "That'll change."

"No kidding," replied the scientist. "We wouldn't trust our most important project to anyone who isn't a part of the organization. Do they know they're being considered?"

"We've only told them that we have an unborn child that might need a home. They don't know the details yet. We've asked them for a designer profile. I have it here," she said, accessing the data on her slate. "Let's see. Female. Hybrid Caucasian/Asian descent like her parents. Black hair, red eyes, tanned skin. Final height five foot-eleven. Tall for a female."

"It's their choice," replied Robert with a shrug. Typhon may have been his project but he didn't really care about the minutia of what it would look like. Male, female, race, height… all were trivial ephemera. "Make sure the details are entered. I want final gestation to begin as soon as possible. Are the implants ready?"

"Yes," replied Sam as she examined another enclosure at the side of the room. Inside were what appeared to be at first glance some sort of pale grey scorpions. "Are you sure about these?"

Robert nodded. "Absolutely. She's to have the very best and those are the pinnacle of modern science."

"Cyberorganic implants are still experimental."

"True, but I trust their creator," he replied with a grin. "As should you."

"I'm a scientist. Theoretically I should approach a task with impartiality. Just because they were made by my father…"

"Are you two still at each other's throats?"

Samantha sighed. "Look I know it's been five years since mom passed but…"

"It's not easy to forgive or forget and no one is asking you to do that. Not even Jacob. But you'll never move on if you can't even talk with him."

"Maybe we should just focus on our work," she replied, ending the tangent. "I'm just concerned that these implants aren't fully tested yet."

"If we waited for every last problem to be solved before implementing a new technology, humans would still be living in caves flinging dung at each other."

Sam laughed at that, "Funny, I thought that's what they did in Atlantis," she replied, referring to the Alliance's Capitol.

"Only after it's been properly worded and formatted."

* * *

_Viery Station_

_New Alexandria, Reach System_

_February 6, 2152_

The first thing that Rael noticed was the brightness. It invaded his consciousness and sent a piecing pain through his forehead. Raising his hand to cover them brought an unwelcome surprise.

He could touch his face.

Off to the side the continuous beeping of a sinus rhythm monitor raised to a fever rate as his heart hammered in his chest. The first thing any quarian was taught was the importance of their suits. It was as integral to their existence as air, water and food. And his was missing.

Taking a deep breath, he chanced opening his eyes again, blinking rapidly to help adapt to the light. The logical part of his mind was already churning. He was missing his suit but he wasn't feeling sick, wasn't having trouble breathing and he was obviously still alive. The surface he was lying on was soft; obviously some sort of bed or cushion. He could easily move his arms and legs so that meant he wasn't restrained. All of those were good things.

His vision restored, Rael examined the room. It was small with beige walls and a floor made of what appeared to be some sort of black or dark grey marble. Above recessed fixtures produced a warm yellow light, supplemented by several wall sconces. To his right was a recessed door while a window to his left showed a magnificent view of the planet he was orbiting. He was indeed lying on a bed, quite a comfortable one in fact and was surrounded by equipment. Examining the devices he was unsurprised to find that he couldn't read the language. However the readings were familiar enough that he could guess many of the functions they served.

Looking down he noted that he was wearing some sort of soft clothing that left his feet, hands and head exposed. Around his right wrist was a metallic band that exerted pressure on the veins located there; presumably some sort of intravenous injector. He also noted a pair of small disks attached to his temples although their functions eluded him for the moment.

Done with his self-assessment, Rael tried to sit up only to realize how incredibly weak he felt. It was as if every muscle in his body was screaming exhaustion at once and he immediately collapsed back into the pillow. Whatever had happened to him must have been bad to leave him this drained.

His musings were interrupted by the door opening. Turning to the noise he was surprised by the being that entered. The first thought that came to mind was that he was looking at another quarian minus her environmental suit. But the differences quickly became obvious. The texture of her skin was wrong and her eyes lacked the luminescent glow that quarians had evolved hundreds of millennia earlier.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a kindly tone, surprisingly in flawless, unaccented quarian.

"Weak," replied Rael, unsure of what else to say.

She smiled at that, at least it would've been a smile for a quarian. "That is to be expected considering the condition we recovered you and your friend in."

Rael's eyes widened in surprise. "Han. How is he?"

"Worse than you unfortunately," replied the alien. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Doctor Elizabeth Bayard. You're aboard Viery Station in orbit of the planet New Alexandria in the Reach system. You and your friend were brought here by one of our vessels, the SSV Pathfinder, after it rescued you from what we've confirmed was a slaver frigate out of Torfan. That was ten days ago."

Rael nodded at that. He clearly remembered the engagement between the alien vessel and the slaver. "Who are you people?"

"Our race is known as human. We've been expanding into this region of space for approximately twenty years after finding a primary mass relay that allowed us to travel here from our home star cluster."

Rael was surprised to say the least. That a new race had shown up in the Traverse two decades earlier and hadn't been discovered until now was unusual to say the least. "I see. What do you intend to do with us?"

"Well first we intend to let you finish your recovery. Then we'll return you to the Migrant Fleet with our compliments and if your people prove to be amenable, we'll make proper first contact," replied another voice from the door. This one was another female with greying hair wearing what appeared to be a military uniform. The newcomer turned to the doctor and continued, "How's he doing doc?"

"Not too bad all things considered. He'll be weak for the next few days and I imagine he'll have quite an appetite but he should make a full recovery."

"Good," replied the woman as she turned to Rael. "My name is Admiral Kastanie Drescher, commanding officer of the Systems Alliance Second Fleet. The vessel that rescued you two was under my command."

Rael involuntarily straightened up on hearing the word 'admiral'. "A pleasure to meet you ma'am," he said, instinctively showing her respect.

Kastanie smiled at that. "You're not in my chain of command. You can call me Kastanie if you like. Anyway I'm sure you have plenty of questions and I'm here to try and answer some of them."

"Um, well I guess my first question is how I'm not dead at the moment. Quarian immune systems have atrophied over the years and…," he began.

"Yes we're fully aware of that," replied Doctor Bayard. Her information had been quite accurate in regards to the alien physiology. "When you were brought in your environmental suit was all but destroyed. Its medical exoskeleton was probably the only reason you're still alive but it was close to total failure. That combined with your injuries necessitated the injection of a full series of nanites into your body, modified for your biology of course. Then you were immersed in a regenerative bath, essentially a nutrient suspension swarming with more nanites, for several days."

Rael's eyes widened at that. "How bad were my injuries?"

"Multiple compound fractures, internal bleeding, multiple organ failure, major concussion, intra-cranial bleeding and most of your body was one big bruise. You friend was actually worse off believe it or not. He'll be in the nanite bath for another day or so. Like I said, you were very lucky and your suit had very good medical systems."

"Now to answer your original question; all humans are injected at birth with a series of nanites that form a symbiotic relationship with their host. Well almost all humans," she amended with a frown. Elizabeth like many in the Alliance couldn't fathom those that rejected technology. "These nanites serve as a synthetic immune system and work to keep their host alive and healthy. In your case the nanites are serving as your primary immune system until they can restore your own natural defenses at which point they'll serve as a synthetic booster. You'll notice that you'll heal much faster than normal and your resistance to environmental hazards such as radiation and chemical agents will be quite a bit greater than what would be considered natural for your species."

The young quarian took this information in with a stoic look on his face. Inside however he was practically bouncing up and down. These people had a solution to quarian suit dependence and they'd already shared it with him and Han. If he could convince them to share this technology with the fleet… talk about a pilgrimage gift. "So I won't need a suit anymore?"

"Nope," replied the doctor with a grin. This young man may've thought he was keeping his emotions hidden but he may've been a puppy enthusiastically licking her face for all his success. "Unfortunately there is a downside; at least you might consider it one."

"What is that?"

"The nanites are for life," she replied. "Once they're introduced to your body they're almost impossible to remove without killing you. They're also, well you have to understand that they have the ability to adapt to new situations and improve their abilities."

That stopped Rael's internal celebration cold. "Are you saying these nanites employ artificial intelligence?"

"Yes," replied the doctor with a wince. "I'm aware of how your people view synthetics but it was the only way to save your life."

He sat quietly for a second, contemplating what he'd just heard. He was glad that he was alive of course but…, "How advanced is the AI used in these things?"

"Each nanite only possesses a small amount of intelligence but when they network…"

"Just like the geth," replied Rael.

"Not quite," interrupted the admiral. "I don't claim to be an expert on synthetics but I can assure you that these nanites will never spontaneously develop sapience. Ever. All non-sapient synthetic intelligences in the Alliance are required by law to employ a governor to prevent uncontrolled evolution; including the nanites in your body. They may be sentient by some definitions but they will never become self-aware."

"You said non-sapient synthetics," replied Rael, his worry growing. "Does that mean that you do possess a sapient artificial intelligence?"

The two women looked at each other before the admiral replied, "You could say that. The first sapient synthetic intelligence was created on Earth, our homeworld, in our year of 2021 or one hundred and thirty one years ago. As of the last census there were over forty-seven billion synthetics in the Alliance."

Rael's head almost exploded. That was more than fifty times the number of geth programs that had existed at the time of the Morning War. And had she said…, "Did you say census?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, synthetics are considered full citizens of the Systems Alliance with the same rights and freedoms as organics. Look I know that this is a lot to take in…"

Rael just nodded, "You could say that. I suppose I should be panicking right now. Don't you realize the danger that artificial intelligence poses?"

"Of course," replied the admiral. "Our literature is replete with fiction warning of a geth-style uprising, some of it dating back to before the most primitive electronics were even developed. And our history is full of uprisings by populations that have been treated as disposable. We're more than aware of the threat that a synthetic intelligence can pose. But then again humans have done some pretty horrible things to each other over the centuries too; all without the aid of a computer."

"But organics cannot crash an entire economy with a single command," replied Rael. "Nor can they decompress a passenger liner in a fit of rage."

"Says who?" replied the admiral. "That may have been true in the past but for us the line between the organic and synthetic worlds has become almost indistinguishable. Most humans have implants that allow us to directly interact and even upload our minds into the virtual world and many synthetics can inhabit bodies that allow them to interact with the physical. We don't consider a synthetic that tries to do harm to be rampant or broken. We consider them to be criminals and we hunt them down, arrest them and try them in a court of law."

"And it works?"

"Yes and it has for almost a century now," replied the admiral. "Besides the benefits far outweigh the potential problems of such a philosophy."

"Benefits?"

"We call it the Singularity, a term coined almost two centuries ago. It's the convergence of artificial intelligence, biological enhancement and brain-machine interface to create a superintelligence. It furnished the conditions necessary for hyper-rapid technological and social change; combining the sheer processing power and information retrieval abilities of a sapient computer with the creativity of an organic mind. Almost every facet of our culture was changed by it and technologies that would've taken centuries to develop pre-singularity now take weeks or months instead. Throw in the discovery of several caches of prothean technology and our disassembly of an orphaned mass relay and by your standards we've advanced more than three millennia in the last century."

The concept was both alien and familiar to Rael. Like any quarian he knew the history of his race in regards to technological progress. A similar concept had been spoken about among academics back on Rannoch before the Morning War. Of course all such ideas had become anathema after their exile and many of his people doubted it was possible for organics to live with synthetics without killing each other. Apparently they were wrong.

"I guess if it works for you…," he replied lamely. Everything he'd been told was a contradiction to his upbringing.

"It does," confirmed the admiral. She knew that she had to impress upon these young men that humanity didn't pose a threat to quarian society. Once they got passed that hurdle then things would be able to precede much smoother. "And in your case it means that you'll never be trapped in a suit again."

Rael nodded at that. I was nice to be able to feel the currents of air from the station's ventilation system on his face, smell the sweet scent of Doctor Bayard's perfume. "I guess my next question is whether you'd be willing to share these nanites with the rest of my people."

"I think that can be arranged," replied the admiral. She'd already spoken to the president herself about that very question. "But that's still at least a week away. As the doctor has said, you both have a long way to go before you're ready to travel."

"I can agree with that," replied the young quarian as he stifled a yawn. "I feel like I could sleep for most of that time."

"Well as your physician I fully endorse that proposal," replied Bayard. She could already see him nodding off. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on your condition."

Rael just nodded as his eyes closed.

"I trust that everything is going according to plan," stated the admiral as she turned to the doctor. Kastanie hadn't been pleased to have this woman foisted upon her.

"Yes indeed. Both will be ready to travel by the thirteenth," replied Bayard. She'd long since gotten used to the almost institutional dislike of her organization within the military.

"Good. Well if you excuse me I have to finish cleaning up the mess from Horizon. Interesting that you people didn't have any idea that it was coming."

"Cerberus is good. We're not omniscient."

"Something to remember," noted the admiral as the door closed behind her.

* * *

_Citadel Tower_

_February 7, 2152_

Tevos could feel her headache clawing at the insides of her skull like a wild varren trying to escape a cage. She'd just spent two excruciating hours listing to proposals for changes to intergalactic banking regulations. It wasn't that she didn't understand such things; her long life having taught her how to manage money quite well. It was the new Volus ambassador, Din Korlack. He was perhaps the most irritating person she'd ever met and in her profession that was saying quite a bit.

She'd finally managed to escape the interminable meeting for the sanctuary offered by her private office when she'd been called to what C-Sec called 'The Cube'. Contrary to popular belief the council didn't spend most of its time standing behind three podiums above a glass dome like some sort of ancient arbiters. That was all well and good for special situations when they had to make a point to an arrogant petitioner or for official purposes like inducting a new Spectre. But it was also very uncomfortable for more normal business. As such the tower contained numerous conference facilities for every conceivable situation including 'The Cube'. It was the single most secure part of the station short of Citadel Control and only the most sensitive meetings took place there.

"Did they indicate what they wanted?" asked Tevos of her escort.

"No ma'am," replied the Lieutenant Casadra T'lora. She'd been assigned as Tevos' personal C-Sec liaison and bodyguard almost a year earlier after a rapid rise through the organization. Prior to that she'd been considered for commando training back on Thessia at the unheard of age of sixty-one. She'd actually turned it down according to the files and instead had chosen to join Citadel Security. Regardless of her past she was an extremely competent officer and had become a close friend to the councilor.

Tevos sighed. "They never do. This is the third time in five years. That's never a good thing when it comes to STG."

"I'm surprised they ever move openly," opined Casadra with a frown. She didn't care very much for STG as they always seemed to make her job harder.

"It is rare," agreed the councilor. "But the fact that they are is a message in and of itself. Whatever they have to share is important."

The two entered the secure room; Casadra taking up a position against the wall behind her charge. Tevos took her seat at the head of the table, not noticing her aid twitch as she activated her graybox to record the meeting. It was a job she'd been doing for almost three years, albeit not quite as intimately.

Her real name was Operative Cassandra Loral. She'd been inserted onto the Citadel after almost a year of genetic alterations and intensive training, backed by an impressive fake identity. She'd worked her ass off, aided by several other operatives in place among the native population, to become one of the most successful C-Sec officers on board. That had caught the attention of Executor Pavel and had earned her a posting to the Citadel Tower where she'd in turn caught the eye of Tevos. This placed her in the perfect position to monitor the Council, first through remote bugs and later through direct observation.

It was all in all a very advantageous posting. She followed the asari councilor around everywhere, attending even the most classified meetings and recording them for her superiors back home. It wasn't even a particularly unpleasant assignment. Being Tevos' aid put her at the top of Citadel society. She went to all the swankiest parties, met the right people and enjoyed the access to the finer things in life. She just hoped that after first contact took place she'd be left in place. She'd come to admire her charge; there was something serene about the matriarch. That said it wasn't enough to stop her from carrying out her duty. She'd gladly take a bullet for Tevos but she was loyal to Cerberus first. As such after her shift ended she'd retire to her apartment in Tayseri Ward and transmit her data through her personal quantum entanglement array back home.

"I call this meeting to order," intoned Tevos. "Our esteemed guest from STG has something to share with us," she continued, gesturing to the Salarian operative at the other end of the table.

"Thank you councilor," replied the man. "My name is Administrator Thein," he began, drawing looks of surprise from the three councilors. Administrator was the rank given to the head of STG, a posting as closely guarded as the identity of the Shadow Broker. Even the Salarian councilor was surprised. Only the most senior Dalatrasses knew this man's identity. "The reason I have appeared before you today is to report the complete and total destruction of the slaver colony on Torfan."

That brought looks of surprise and then confusion to the three. "I understand that such an event is important," said the Turian councilor General Vernik Turnius. "But I hardly see why you would deem such an event important enough to reveal yourself to us."

"Indeed," said the final councilor, Solor Palar.

"The reason I've come is due to the nature of the destruction. As you know for the past decade we've had evidence of a new, heretofore unknown race operating in the Terminus systems and presumably within Council space. This coincides with the appearance of several new, radical technologies also emanating from the Terminus. Ten days ago we were able to put a name to this new race. They are called humans and from all indications they are far more advanced than us." Thein was gratified as the silence that fell over the three councilors and their aids.

After almost a minute the first to speak was Tevos. "What exactly happened?"

"Thirteen days ago we were alerted that a new shipment of slaves was on its way to Torfan by several operatives we have, excuse me had, in place in the colony. While such reports are fairly routine, our operatives indicated that the Ha'rasa Syndicate had acquired slaves belonging to a completely new species."

"Why weren't we immediately informed?" demanded Turnius.

"We assumed that they belonged to a pre-spaceflight species," replied Thein apologetically. "It wouldn't be the first time this has happened I'll remind you."

The turian frowned at that. It was distasteful in the extreme that such things occurred but the Council couldn't enforce their laws in the Terminus.

Taking the councilor's silence as an indication to continue the STG leader said, "Ten days ago our surveillance satellite monitoring the colony recorded this." Thein turned to his terminal and entered several commands, bringing up an orbital schematic of Torfan.

The councilors watched as alien vessels appeared out of bright red windows, the intercepted transmission between their lead vessel and the stolen dreadnought. They watched as the alien fleet laid waste to the pirates and then began landing operations.

"We can confirm that all orbiting vessels were destroyed. They methodically captured and evacuated any believed to have been carrying slaves however so we can assume that they now have a large proportion of the Terminus slave trade in their custody as well as thousands of former captives."

"You were correct. They are highly advanced," commented Tevos with a frown. This was not a pleasant situation she was facing. Such technology could force the Republics to release more technology from the Beacon of Athame to counter this new race and such a release could lead to unfortunate questions.

"Any idea what those red windows were?" asked Turnius.

"We believe they may be some sort of extra-dimensional portals," replied the administrator with a shrug. "However beyond that we have nothing but hypothesis and speculation." It was not often one heard a member of STG say 'I don't know'.

"What about the ground operations?" asked Palar.

"As you can see," began Thein, "shortly after the orbital part of the battle concluded, another group of vessels arrived. We've confirmed these eight to be troop transports. They immediately began a burn for low orbit where they deployed the first wave of troops. The method of this deployment is what has us interested," he commented, queuing the data.

"Are those people?" demanded Turnius, his mandibles splayed wide in surprise.

"It appears so," replied the salarian. "They have somehow managed to develop a method of direct orbital insertion without the need for a vehicle of any kind. Our readings also indicate that these soldiers employed biotics as a method of controlling and slowing their fall."

"That would suggest that they are highly skilled and quite powerful," said Tevos not liking the implications. "An asari commando could theoretically manage such a feat but it would leave her drained and unable to fight. And that's assuming she could survive reentry."

"Well they were indeed able to fight quite well," continued Thein. "We were able to monitor several battles between these forward troops and local forces. This initial wave of troops was followed by each of the troopships entering the atmosphere and dropping off the two large pod-like structures docked to their ventral surfaces."

"That's impossible," said Turnius. "Those things had to be as long as a dreadnought."

"Indeed. However they were able to enter and leave the atmosphere with little difficulty. The pods themselves seem to serve as mobile bases. We estimate that each carried between five thousand and sixty-five hundred soldiers and their equipment. Such equipment included armor, artillery, mechs, VTOLs and atmospheric fighters and bombers. They were able to overwhelm the local defenders in under three hours."

"Impressive," commented the turian councilor. "I very much doubt that hierarchy forces could do any better. Do you have an estimate of how many soldiers they deployed?"

"Approximately one hundred thousand judging by the spectrographic readings."

"That is concerning."

"Why is that councilor?" asked Tevos.

"Well consider the situation. We can assume the attack on their world took place, what, no more than a week before their retaliatory strike? Then they were able to gather a fleet and army of considerable size, deploy them to a completely alien environment and then kick the ever loving crap out of an entrenched enemy. That's no easy feat. It would've taken the Hierarchy almost a month to accomplish the same in peacetime."

"Indeed," replied the administrator. "It speaks of a society that is highly militaristic. Or it might mean that they are already involved in a conflict of some sort and the forces they deployed were already mobilized."

"They may also be gearing up for an invasion," commented Palar.

"Of us?" asked Tevos with some worry. She'd been born in the aftermath of the Krogan Rebellions.

"We do have evidence that they've been scouting the Terminus systems for some time."

"That is a concern," said Turnius, "however until we have concrete proof of their intentions I believe it is premature to assume anything."

"You're correct of course," replied Tevos. "I apologize for jumping to conclusions. What took place next?"

"After they had eliminated all local resistance around the city they employed some form of disintegrative weapon on the surrounding wall. We don't know precisely what it was but over the course of perhaps half a minute the wall lost integrity and turned to dust."

"That sounds like some sort of self-replicating nano-tech," commented Turnius with a sneer. Such technology was outlawed by the Citadel Accords. "This could be a problem."

"Perhaps," replied Tevos. "But we shouldn't impose our laws on them when all they've probably ever heard of us is what they acquired in the Terminus," she continued, ignoring the cough of her aid behind her. "If and when we encounter them, we should be able to guide them away from using such dangerous technologies."

Turnius let out a sigh. It was an old argument that had started long before his time. The Asari liked to see themselves as peaceful guides for the less developed races. It was both a long term strategic plan and irritating as the six hells. Strategically they 'guided' races to their form of enlightenment and at the same time gained a measure of control over their societies through the spread of their beliefs. Turnius just thanked the spirits that the Hierarchy had proven resistant to that kind of proselytizing.

"Perhaps we should continue the briefing," interjected Palar, ever the peacemaker between his two diametrically opposed colleges.

"Indeed," replied Turnius as he turned his attention back to the administrator.

"Shortly after the collapse of the wall the city's administrator officially surrendered without conditions. The humans quickly secured the city and over the next forty-eight hours evacuated the colony after which they retreated from the surface. The satellite then monitored the detonation of a powerful antimatter charge from within the central structure. Everything within two hundred kilometers was completely destroyed with a blast wave extending another five hundred. The human fleet then retreated through those red portals ending contact."

"So they completely destroyed Torfan," commented Turnius with a barely concealed grin. "Couldn't have happened to better people. But their use of a weapon of mass destruction of a garden world is worrying."

"The slavers did abduct some of their people," commented Palar. "Their reaction may have been extreme but it was certainly understandable. It is possible that this was their first contact with another sapient species."

"I just hope that they don't consider us to be in league with the slavers," said Tevos. "There were after all asari, salarians and turians on Torfan. This wasn't just the goddess forsaken batarians."

"That is certainly a concern…," replied Turnius, stopping as his aid whispered something in his ear. "We have a situation developing in the Tasale System."

"Illium?" replied Tevos in surprise. "What is it?"

"An unidentified vessel has just entered range of one of the outer sensor pickets that Illium Spaceguard maintains," replied Turnius' aid. "We have a live uplink to Illium military command."

"Put it up," ordered the turian councilor.

A burst of static resolved itself into a voice transmission. "…peat, this is the Illium Spaceguard vessel Shining Blade to unidentified vessel. You have entered controlled space. Hold your position and identify yourself."

The three councilors remained silent as the crackle of radio static met the patrol vessel's demands. Several seconds passed before a voice replied. "This is the Systems Alliance Battlecruiser Dauntless to Illium vessel. We are non-hostile and request a meeting with Citadel representatives." The voice was speaking Asari unsurprisingly. It had become a trade language over the centuries and almost everyone in both Citadel space and the Terminus spoke it.

"Dauntless, we have no record of a Systems Alliance. Identify your point of origin and reasons for seeking a meeting with Council representatives."

"Our point of origin is our homeworld, Earth. We request a meeting in regards to the recent incident that took place on the Terminus world of Torfan."

That broke the council out of its silence. "Get me Matriarch Selna now," ordered Tevos. The aid immediately entered the necessary commands into his terminal, opening a priority channel to Illium.

"This is Matriarch Selna," said the image of another asari that appeared above the table. "Ah Tevos. I trust you're monitoring the situation?"

"We are. That vessel is to be given top level diplomatic clearance," replied the councilor.

"Understood. May I inquire as to what happened?"

The three councilors looked to each other for a moment before Tevos replied. "We believe that vessel belongs to a new race known as humans. We recently received intelligence that confirms that they were responsible for the complete destruction of Torfan after the slavers there launched a raid on one of their colonies."

"Should I consider this vessel hostile? It's the size of a small dreadnought."

"Selna," began Tevos, trying to project an image of confidence to her old friend, "we believe this race to be highly advanced. If they had hostile intentions they would've sent a fleet and Illium would most likely be under siege now."

"Well that's very reassuring," replied the matriarch with a sigh. "Very well. Commander," she continued, addressing someone off screen, "order the Shining Blade to escort the alien vessel to orbit."

"Thank you Selna. I'll instruct our consulate to ready a contact team."

"A pleasure as always Tevos," replied the other woman as she cut the transmission.

"Well I guess we'd better brief our people on Illium," commented Turnius.

"Let's just hope they're ready for this," said Palar in a grave tone. The next few hours would determine Council relations with the humans for decades to come.


	5. Chapter Four - First Contact

**Chapter Four – First Contact**

_Afterlife_

_Omega, Sahrabarik System, Omega Nebula_

_February 7, 2152_

Aria T'Loak looked into the smoky depths of her latest glass of Noverian Rum and contemplated the utter lack of excitement in her life. It was something she'd found herself doing more often of late and she wasn't enjoying it one bit.

It hadn't always been this way. Two centuries earlier she had to be on constant watch for assassination attempts even while doing something as pedestrian as brushing her teeth. But as her power had grown such attempts had fallen off and those fools that still contemplated doing her harm were usually detected and eliminated by her intelligence network well before they could do anything more than plot. No she was the ruler of 'the heart of evil', as some of her fellow matriarchs condescendingly called her station. Queen bitch of the Terminus Systems.

Idly Aria wondered if they would ever have those sticks lodged up their asses removed.

She was considering another drink when one of her guards approached with a look of irritation on his face. "What is it Berus?" she asked the armored batarian.

"Someone to see you," he replied, gesturing to an asari maiden waiting behind him.

Aria took a moment to examine her petitioner. She was a typical example of a maiden from the core regions and wore simple clothing that would allow her to blend in anywhere in the galaxy. Even her tattoos were commonplace and simplistic. Not sensing anything outwardly threatening the pirate queen nodded her head in approval. Perhaps she was looking for a job.

The batarian gestured the newcomer forward only to block her with an outstretched arm. The matriarch smirked at the little show of intimidation while he activated his omnitool and began a security scan. Such precautions were necessary in her line of work. When the scan results began flashing red that smirk disappeared.

Aria shot to her feet, her biotics flaring as her guards trained their weapons on the intruder. "Who are you?"

The maiden grinned as the air around her shimmered and distorted. The outward appearance of an asari vanished, replaced by that of another creature. Its features were remarkably similar but still it was clear that is wasn't one of her race. It had a long cascade of black fur leading down from its head to just below its shoulder blades and its skin was a light pinkish-tan. It was wearing what appeared to be a set of light armor with a sidearm holstered on its right thigh. It looked around, examining the guards dispassionately before refocusing its attention on the matriarch.

As it examined her a smirk crossed its face before it began speaking. "I suppose I should congratulate your guards for finally seeing through my sensorium mask," is said in a condescending tone. "I almost made it all the way to your dais before I was detected. However the fact that it was only disguising my appearance made it a hell of a lot easier so…"

"Watch your mouth," replied Berus in anger, raising his sidearm to strike the intruder across the face. The alien simply looked at him for a moment as a wave of blue-green energy engulfed her body. A moment later he was sent flying into a nearby wall with enough force to knock him unconscious. The other guards took a step back, fearing for their own safety.

"I don't appreciate being threatened, especially by someone so pathetic," it replied, turning back to Aria. "Your guard needs lessons in self-preservation. And to learn his place."

Aria ignored the bleeding batarian as she continued her examination of the interloper. She was of course aware of what it was, having been informed by her contacts on Torfan on the newest race to come to market. She was also acutely aware of what had happened to the slaver world less than a week later. "You still haven't answered my question," replied the pirate queen simply as she retook her seat.

"My name is Catherine Igel and I represent an organization called Cerberus," replied the woman simply as she took a seat beside Aria, helping herself to the nearby liquor.

"Indeed. And what may I ask is Cerberus?"

Pouring herself a drink, Igel took a moment to consider her response. "I guess the closest analogue in Citadel space is salarian STG. We serve many of the same functions however our authority is more in line with Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. We have the same force projection capacity as the Blackwatch, the independence offered to asari commandos and an intelligence network could easily rival the Shadow Broker's."

"And what does such a powerful organization want with me?"

"I've been sent here to offer you a… shall we say a business proposition."

Aria smirked at that. Many liked to do 'business' with her. She was involved with almost every faction within the Terminus, many of the so-called 'civilized' governments of Council space and was intimately acquainted with several Spectres. "And why would I be interested in your offer?"

"Because Cerberus isn't giving you a choice," replied the operative coldly as she took a sip of her drink. "You can either work with us or…"

"Or what? You'll kill me?" laughed the matriarch. It wasn't the first time someone had threatened her to her face.

"Me kill you, here and now? Nothing so crude I assure you," replied Igel as she leaned back. She was truly enjoying this assignment. "If you refuse our offer or try to have me killed then the following will take place: in approximately two days Cerberus will pass information to Alliance Intelligence that shows a direct link between your organization and the Ha'rasa Syndicate. It will show that you personally had knowledge of and involvement in the raid on Horizon. This information will of course be a forgery but Cerberus is very capable and we'll have no trouble making it seem convincing."

"Alliance Intelligence will probably take a few days to mull it over before passing it on to High Command. I understand that they're still quite enraged over the Horizon attack. HighCom has always taken great pride maintaining the security of the Alliance and the independent worlds and Horizon was a gut punch. After considering it for a few minutes, at most, the Joint Chiefs will decide it is in the best interests of the Systems Alliance to have you removed."

"As to how they'll do that… well I see three options. The first is that they call upon Cerberus to do it for them. We will of course offer full cooperation and send a Dragoon to take care of the problem. If you think a Council Spectre can be trouble then you haven't seen anything yet. Or they may decide to deploy Alliance Special Operations to take care of you. They're not as good as the Dragoons of course but you'll still be just as dead. The third option is that they decide to make an example of you and this station. In that case you can look forward to a full task force showing up on your doorstep within the next ten days. Omega may be well armed and defended by Citadel standards but one of our superdreadnoughts could reduce this station to a cloud of incandescent plasma in under a minute."

It wasn't the worlds that caught Aria so off guard. Anyone could make claims to power in an attempt to intimidate another. No it was the conviction behind them that gave her pause. This woman was absolutely confident that she, or more accurately her organization could carry out her threat. The reports she'd received from her contacts within STG had make it abundantly clear that this new race, these humans, were not to be underestimated. Torfan had proven that.

Part of surviving for as long as she had was knowing when she'd been outmaneuvered. Those were the times when she'd make peace with an adversary and move forward in cooperation. This was one such situation and so all that was left was one option. "Saying I do agree to do business with you. What would such a relationship entail?"

"We do not ask for much," replied Igel as she arrogantly propped her feet up on a nearby coffee table. "Your organization isn't particularly interesting to Cerberus, truth be told. You don't involve yourself in slaving or piracy, preferring more sophisticated crimes; blackmail, assassination, corporate espionage, hacking, prostitution, drug running etcetera. None of those are a direct threat to the Alliance for the moment. But you know people who could pose such a threat and that is something we want to keep an eye on."

"So you want me as your spy?" replied the matriarch with distaste. Aria was used to having spies, not being one.

"As well as the occasional use of specific resources that you have access to such as safe houses and transport."

"And what will I get out of this arrangement?"

"Weaponry, resources, even the occasional spacecraft. Cerberus pays its friends well."

"I already have access to all of those."

"Not the likes of what we have. Tell me, where do you suppose those new plasma cannons came from?" asked the operative with a shit-eating smirk.

"I somehow doubt you sold them to Saris," parlayed Aria as she refilled her glass.

"No but we did allow them to be sold for our own purposes. They were generations behind the state of the art in any case and of no real threat to the Alliance. But they do demonstrate what we can offer you. You've seen the STG takes. Our technology is centuries beyond anything available on the open or black markets. Well beyond even the bleeding edge the asari military maintains. Are you telling me that you wouldn't like to have access to that?"

"Then why offer it at all?" asked the pirate queen. "Why not simply use threats and coercion to keep me in line?"

"We prefer a willing ally, not one we've forced to work for us," replied the Cerberus agent. "We can of course break you or replace you with someone that we can do business with. However you are a smart woman and a ruthless ruler; everything we look for in a potential asset. If you cooperate with us willingly, or as willingly as this relationship will ever become, then you'll provide us with better quality intelligence and support. Carrot and stick."

Aria wasn't sure what a carrot was but she understood the metaphor all too well. It was after all how she'd maintained her dominance over Omega for so long. Letting out a long sigh the asari nodded, "Very well. I'll play this little role you've created for me. But I don't like being threatened."

The operative shrugged, "No one does. But we had to make it crystal clear where you stood. Regardless, now that we have an understanding I have your first assignment. Nothing too important of course but still something that needs to be done."

"What?"

"We're aware that you'll be hosting a little party for the Terminus' criminal leaders next week. We'd like you to pass on a bit of information to your guests."

"And what is that?"

"Make them aware that in Alliance and protected territories, slaving carries the death penalty. No appeals and the accused are tried as enemy combatants. That means a military trial instead of a civilian one and the burden of proof is placed on the defendant, not the state."

"And how exactly am I to pass on this information? Most of those attending are not aware of your existence."

The operative smirked. "Turn on that vid set over there and switch to a newsfeed."

Aria looked at the human in confusion before complying. Turning to the Citadel News Network she was surprised to see footage from Illium orbit showing what to Aria was a very familiar vessel.

"Any other questions?" asked Igel.

"What will I receive in exchange for passing on your little threat?"

Igel reached into her armor and withdrew a small slate. Placing her rum down, she activated it and entered a series of commands before offering it to the asari. "This is an inventory of our payment as well as its exact location and activation codes. Three crates of Friedan designed FM511A3 directed energy pistols and two crates of FM513A2 directed energy rifles. Each complete with manual, cleaning kit and ten self-regenerating energy cells. I trust that will be sufficient compensation?"

Aria's eyes went wide as she snatched the tablet away. She'd been aware of the types of weaponry the humans had developed but she hadn't expected to get her hands on any for quite some time. "Laser weapons?"

"Indeed. As I said we are considerably more advanced than you are. In this case you are receiving weapons designed by our enemies, the same ones that sold the plasma cannons to Saris. They're obsolete by our standards but considerably more sophisticated than anything you've ever seen. I trust that they'll serve as suitable compensation?"

Aria could only nod dumbly as she studied the tablet, itself more advanced than anything she'd ever used. Already she was mulling over the kinds of advantages her new acquisitions would grant her over the other factions. So engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice her blackmailer standing.

"In any event I have to be going," said Igel as she finished off her drink. "We'll be in touch," continued the operative as she walked away, her image distorting to again show the asari maiden.

* * *

_SSV Dauntless-A, On Approach to Nos Astra Spaceport_

_Illium, Tasale System, Crescent Nebula_

Commonly known as the gateway to the Terminus throughout Council Space, Illium was the primary point of contact between the two polities. Although Citadel propaganda commonly made the Terminus out to be a wasteland of criminal factions, slavers and pirates, in truth there was far more to it. By and large the Terminus was composed of colonies that simply didn't want anything to do with the Council. Turians that wanted to live in a democratic society, asari tired of being ruled by the Matriarchs, salarians who weren't interested in serving the dalatrasses. They all came to the Terminus to live their lives and for that they were labeled as outlaws.

That wasn't to say that a great deal of trade didn't take place between the two. It was a universal truth of the galaxy that no matter who you were or where you lived, there were always things you would want that came from somewhere else.

To many humans it reminded them of the standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Both sides were powerful but unwilling to go to war for fear of the consequences. But there was always trade between them as each had something the other wanted. For the United States it had been oil of which Russia had in abundance. For the Soviets it had been luxury goods, medicines, grain and other products that their own economy couldn't come close to producing due to either political or practical reasons. Political ideology had always been subordinate to profit. That was another universal truth.

All this information passed through the mind of Anita Goyle. A senior diplomat in service to the State Department, she'd been chosen to represent the Alliance during first contact. A very serious person by nature, Goyle had spent most of her career dealing with the Independent Worlds, a loose coalition of colonies that bordered the Alliance in the Local Cluster. While most of them were bound by the Montreal Accords, that hadn't exactly made her job any easier and she was therefore one of the most experienced diplomatic operatives in the entirety of Alliance space.

Still this would be a first for her or any member of State. With the notable exception of the prothean survivors found on Eden Prime, the Alliance hadn't had any contact with alien races. They had in the course of exploring the local cluster come upon several sapient races however the most advanced among them was barely into the Iron Age. Parliament had decided very quickly that while the Alliance would study them and protect them from extinction, any direct contact was completely off limits.

"Are you worried?" asked a voice from behind, startling the woman from her thoughts.

"I'd be insane not to be. This is our first real contact with the wider galaxy. Just whispering Shepard's prayer to myself actually."

Commodore Jason Caldwell laughed and nodded as he quoted the astronaut. "Oh Lord, please don't let me fuck this up." He'd been assigned as military liaison for this mission due to the fact that the Dauntless had led the assault on Torfan. While they could've sent anything up to and including the SSV Terra herself, it had been decided that sending only a single capital ship would balance the requirements of modesty and intimidation that this contact would require.

"We'll get through this," he continued, observing the planet below. "And don't worry. We've got your back."

Anita nodded, not sure whether to be comforted by that or not. State and Defense had always had a love-hate relationship with each other going all the way back to the beginning. This relationship hadn't been made better due the atrophy of the former. The simple fact was that the Alliance didn't have much in the way of foreign powers to deal with. They'd been at war with the Frieden Union for more than a half century and the only other powers were the independent colonies.

Deciding that diplomacy was her best course, Anita replied, "I appreciate that commodore. But I hope I won't need it."

* * *

_Nos Astra Spaceport_

The normally busy docks had become a ghost town as Nos Astra security had locked down the entire area, supplemented by Illium Law Enforcement and Illium Spaceguard. The only exceptions to that lockdown were the representatives of the Council waiting patiently for the human delegation to arrive. As Illium was a major Citadel world so it followed that it would have a large and well-staffed consulate. For the most part the staff spent their time dealing with the problems Council citizens ran into on the border world. Accidently signing yourself into indentured servitude was common here and so their legal team was easily one of the most active of any consulate's in the galaxy.

But first contact, no that wasn't something any of the consuls had been prepared for. Despite its location on the border, the space surrounding Illium had long since been explored and no one was expecting a new race to turn up anywhere nearby. Add that to the fact that since its founding the Council had only made twelve first contacts including the rachni, vorcha, geth and yahg. Needless to say there wasn't exactly a normal procedure for them to follow.

"A momentous occasion," commented one of the assembled diplomats, this one an asari matriarch.

"Indeed it is," replied the salarian consul, Jonis Ternol. "But may I ask why you are here Matriarch Benezia?"

The asari smiled benignly at the amphibian. "Can you honestly expect me not to be? This event will impact the course of the galaxy."

Ternol nodded warily at that. It was widely known that Benezia supported the opinion that the asari should take a more active role in shaping the galaxy. It wasn't a widely accepted idea even among her own race never mind the rest of the Council. Personally he would've preferred that she not be here at all but Benezia was a powerful woman and could do as she wished, especially on an asari world.

"Well despite my colleague's attitude, I am honored to have you here matriarch," commented the asari consul, a matron named Selera L'Tor.

Benezia nodded dismissively at that, accepting the brown nosing for what it was and choosing not to reply. She wasn't in a particularly good mood at the moment. She'd had another fight with Liara three days earlier and it had been a bad one. It was getting to the point where she couldn't even speak to her daughter without some sort of explosion and that saddened her. Idly she wondered if she should consult Liara's father for advice before dismissing the idea out of hand. She'd broken away from Aethyta a long time ago and it had been for the best.

Idly watching the sky for the human shuttle, the matriarch felt her jaw go slack at the sight that greeted her. The day had been cloudy threatening rain and so when the human warship broke through the clouds all she could do was gape. The vessel was massive; easily the size of a dreadnought and by any sane standards shouldn't have been able to even think of entering atmosphere.

As she studied the vessel she could make out an almost electric haze being emitted from numerous points across the ventral surfaces, presumably part of whatever system was keeping the monstrosity aloft. It decelerated gracefully and come to a hover directly above them, just high enough to clear the skyscrapers that dotted the area but still at least a quarter kilometer up. As the delegates watched a circular hatch opened and began projecting a bluish beam of light. It impacted just I front of them without causing any noticeable harm however every biotic within a half kilometer could feel the dark energy wash over their skin.

Moments passed before three figures could be seen descending through the beam, landing lightly on the loading surface. Benezia took a moment to assess this new species and was surprised at how closely they resembled her own race. While the bipedal form was common throughout the galaxy there had always been some variations. Reverse jointed legs, a different number of fingers or eyes, even metallic skin. However never had any race found such a close analogue to themselves before.

But for all the similarities there were also differences. One appeared to be female while the other was male, something no asari had ever been. The third she couldn't make out, dressed as it was in a sleek set of armor. She assumed it was another female but as it turned she was surprised to find that it had a tail. Could they be dealing with more than one species?

The three figures moved forward, stopping just before the assembled diplomats.

"On behalf of the President of the Systems Alliance and our peoples I offer you greetings," said the leading female, offering her hand.

"And on behalf of the Citadel Council I offer you greetings in return," replied Selera, grasping the hand in an obvious gesture that was very similar to what the turians used. That alone told them something. Such gestures evolved in warrior cultures as a way of demonstrating that they offered a hand of peace, unarmed. "My name is Selera L'Tor of the Asari Republics. This is Jonis Ternol of the Salarian Union and Fikus Caerus of the Turian Hierarchy. And last but not least Matriarch Benezia who…"

"Who's here out of curiosity," she finished, grasping the human's hand for a strong shake.

"A pleasure. My name is Anita Goyle, senior member of the Alliance Department of State. This is Commodore Jason Caldwell, commanding officer of the SSV Dauntless and Gunnery Sergeant Samone Torres of the System Alliance Marine Corps," replied the woman, gesturing in turn to her companions.

"Welcome," said Selera, shaking both of their hands. "I must say I'm surprised. I had not expected to make first contact with two races," she continued, gesturing to the marine.

A look of confusion crossed Goyle's face before it was replaces with a smile. "Ah, I can understand your confusion. Sergeant Torres is in fact human," she replied. "Sergeant if you would?"

The marine nodded before triggering her helmet and revealing her furry face.

"The gunnery sergeant here is a member of a subspecies of humanity commonly referred to as anthromorphs."

"And your races evolved simultaneously?" asked Ternol curiously.

"Not exactly," replied the ambassador delicately, hoping to phrase this properly. She knew that their exchange was being broadcast to the entire galaxy via the camera drones hovering around them like a flock of excitable pigeons. "Approximately one hundred years ago scientists successfully hybridized the DNA of humans with non-human fauna from our home world of Earth. The children that resulted became the first anthromorphs."

The looks that crossed their faces would under other circumstances be considered hilarious. "I… you must forgive me," stuttered the asari consul. "In much of the galaxy such genetic experimentation is widely illegal."

"Yes we are aware," replied Goyle, fully briefed on the differences between Council and Alliance law. "However in the Alliance Sergeant Torres and all that are like her are protected under the Sapient's Rights Act of 2048 and are considered full citizens, entitled to all of the rights and protections of our laws."

"I see," commented Caerus neutrally. Turians unlike many others within Citadel space were far more tolerant of genetic engineering. It came from being a military society that regarded practicality above all else. He was therefore more interested in the fact that this human was a marine and took a moment to study her from that perspective. What he saw was a woman who was extremely confident in her movements and well aware of her environment. By her body language he could already tell she was aware of the snipers that were on overwatch and had taken note of the security forces that surrounded them.

"Let us not dwell on this subject," continued Selera, smoothly transitioning from the subject. No doubt it would feature heavily on the various news networks that were covering this event. "If you would follow me we have a facility that would be more comfortable for this meeting."

"With pleasure," replied Goyle in acceptance as she followed the small delegation.

They walked in silence for a moment before Benezia spoke. "I was surprised that you would choose Illium to make your first public appearance," she said, ignoring the wince that came from L'Tor. She had read the human representative during their brief contact was certain that they wouldn't take offense over such a simple observation.

"It made sense," replied Goyle with a shrug. "Illium has a well-staffed consulate, is in a very public location and as it borders the Terminus it cannot be claimed that we are only interested in meeting with the Council."

That surprised Benezia and led naturally to the next question, "You seem to know a great deal about our society."

"We've been studying you for almost a decade in preparation for this meeting."

"Studying us?" asked Caerus, torn between alarm and indignation. Alarm because they could be preparing for an invasion and indignation that these newcomers would regard them as a scientific subject of inquiry like some sort of fungus in a petri dish.

"Yes. Don't misunderstand. We have no intentions of initiating military action against your peoples or worlds. However our fiction tells of numerous situations where first contact led to violence and so it was decided that we would study you before making contact so as to avoid any unpleasantness."

"How long have you been aware of us?" asked Ternol.

"We first became aware of your people when one of our exploration vessels noticed recent activity on the former prothean world of Feros," replied Caldwell, not mentioning that the vessel in question had belonged to Cerberus. "They emplaced several stealth satellites in orbit that noted the arrival and departure of almost thirty vessels over the course of several months. It was decided to have a stealth vessel follow one back to its homeport."

"You have working stealth technology?" asked the salarian excitedly. Everyone in the consulate figured him for a member of STG.

"Indeed," replied Caldwell. Part of this contact was to show off a bit and so he gestured to his ship. "Take the Dauntless for example. The outer layers of her armor are composed of a sophisticated carbon-silicate compound that allows it to either absorb or diffract most active electromagnetic scans such as radar or lidar. For visual concealment we have a cloaking system that utilizes an array of holographic projectors that allows us to blend into the background star field. We also have thermoelectric conversion systems that transform waste heat back into electricity instead of venting it and producing an easily detectable thermal bloom. The only exceptions are when we engage our thrusters, activate our defenses or fire our weapons."

"Then how do you move under such conditions?"

"Our sub-light systems utilize anti-proton rocketry augmented by a mass effect propulsion technique known as a gravitic pulse. When we want to move stealthily we simply disengage our thrusters and rely exclusively on the pulse drive. Granted it cannot offer the same rate of acceleration but it is virtually undetectable beyond a certain range."

'That certainly explains a lot,' Caerus thought to himself. Such technology would make these vessels virtually undetectable to even the most sophisticated scans and it was no wonder the patrol hadn't seen them. This could set a very dangerous precedent. "How many vessels like this one do you have?"

"We're currently replacing most of our older vessels with newer designs," replied Caldwell. "The Dauntless is actually the lead vessel of her class and was launched only six years ago. Currently she has forty seven sisters in service with a total of one hundred seventy five due by 2160 or nine years from now."

That stopped the Citadel representatives in their tracks. This vessel was by all definitions a dreadnought and by the sounds of it the humans were mass producing them. "That is a lot of dreadnoughts for one species," commented Selera, trying to hide her alarm.

"Oh the Dauntless isn't a dreadnought," replied Caldwell with a chuckle. "By our definitions she is classified as a battlecruiser."

"Battlecruiser?" asked Caerus as the group resumed their journey. "I don't think I've ever heard that term."

"It dates back to the early twentieth century. The British Royal Navy had a doctrine of starting three new battleships and four armored cruisers per year under what was known as the Selborne Plan. However at the time British tax revenues were falling and so the plan was no longer viable. A compromise between the cruiser and battleship classes was reached that resulted in the first battlecruiser. While it was very heavily armed and could maintain a remarkably fast velocity, the compromise meant that unlike its battleship cousins, the HMS Invincible was comparatively lightly armored."

"Generally speaking the battlecruiser wasn't a success during the following twentieth century. A combination of poor safety standards and their extreme cost tarnished their reputations. The costs in particular continued to balloon out of control culminating with the construction of the HMS Hood, a behemoth of a warship that was sunk during a battle in 1941. A stray shot hit her magazines and due to the lack of armor, she split in two in a massive explosion. At the same time the aircraft carrier was increasingly rendering both the battlecruiser and battleship obsolete. The last battlecruisers in service were the Soviet's Kirov-class, only four of which were built. None of them ever saw combat and the last of the Kirovs were retired in 2023."

As Caldwell was finishing his lecture, the group had entered a conference facility and taken their seats. "If they weren't successful, why resurrect the class?" asked the turian consul.

"Technological progress has made them more practical," replied Caldwell. "Back then we're talking ocean-going vessels powered by oil-fired boilers or in the case of the Kirovs, nuclear fission reactors. The class itself has also evolved somewhat since then. In modern times they serve as light capital ships whose job is to engage and destroy escorts or other battlecruisers. Technology means that weight is no longer a factor in a vessel's protection and so we don't have to trade speed for armor anymore."

"As interesting as this is," interrupted Benezia, "I doubt you came here to talk to us about your military. I for one am more interested in how your society functions."

"Indeed," replied Goyle, glad to be back in control of the meeting. "Well to start the Systems Alliance was founded on February 15, 2066 or just under eighty-six years ago as we began colonizing the galaxy and three years after we discovered a prothean observation outpost on the fourth planet in our system, Mars. The Alliance is a supranational government that exists above the various national governments that are members. We're a representative cyber-democracy wherein the members of the Alliance Parliament are for the most part required to vote the will of their constituencies. This is not a law however as each political party operates somewhat differently."

"How does that work in practice?" asked Selera.

"The Alliance has numerous political parties to which most politicians belong. Each party has its own way of operating. Some such as the Gaians, Solarians or Terra First operate on a direct model. You elect your representatives and whenever he or she is required to vote, they hold a plebiscite among their constituents and then vote on behalf of whatever option wins. Others such as the Democrats, Liberals and Progressives only hold plebiscites on major issues, trusting their representatives to handle minor issues using their best judgment. And some such as the Republicans and Conservatives don't hold plebiscites at all, allowing their members to vote however they want. People elect members who represent their political ideologies and if a politician doesn't act properly then it's possible to recall them from office if a sufficient number of constituents decide it's necessary to do so."

"How can that all possibly function?" asked Benezia. All in all it seemed to be a remarkably complicated system compared to the direct democracy the Republics employed.

"Parliament is divided into three separate groups, called houses, all of which must approve a bill before it becomes law. The Congress is the largest and each representative represents a fixed portion of the population or approximately ten million citizens. The Senate is composed of two senators from each political entity within the Alliance. These include the nation-states of our home world and the various colonial governments. Finally the Stellar Council consists of one councilor from each planetary system, defined as a planet and its orbiting satellites such as moons and stations, within the Alliance. This is to ensure that a planet like Earth, which has fourteen separate nation-states alone, sixteen if you include Luna and the orbital colonies, doesn't dominate planets that have only one government."

"So once all three groups approve of a bill it becomes law?" asked Selera.

"Not quite," replied Goyle with a smile. "Then the law is passed to the second branch of our government, the judicial branch. They examine the bill and make sure that it doesn't violate the Alliance Constitution. If it does they veto it and send it back to Parliament for further work. Finally when the bill passes the judiciary then it is delivered to the president, head of the executive branch. If the bill doesn't have two-thirds support from all three houses of Parliament, the president has the authority to veto a part of or the entire bill as he or she sees fit. Finally when the president signs the bill into law the various agencies that are housed in the executive branch, such as my agency, the Department of State, go about implementing the law. This is further complicated by the fact that the Alliance has more than one race in it."

"I don't understand," replied Jonis in confusion. "I thought that the Alliance only had humans in it, disregarding various subspecies."

"Not quite. In 2133 we discovered a primary mass relay that connected our cluster to the Attican Traverse. We moved quickly to expand into the region and colonized several nearby systems. On one of those planets, a garden world we named Eden Prime, we uncovered the buried remains of a fairly significant prothean colony. During the excavation we discovered a bunker deep beneath the surface. The bunker was heavily damaged but as we cleared the rubble we discovered several intact, functional stasis pods."

"Functional?" asked Selera in shock, echoing the thoughts of the entire room.

"Indeed," replied Goyle. "The facility showed signs of extensive small arms fire, orbital bombardment and even the residual effects of a neutron purge. But we uncovered a total of three-hundred and ninety two functional pods in the upper levels. Further exploration of the facility revealed an elevator shaft that connected to a series of deeper reinforced caverns. There we found two hundred thousand additional pods, almost sixty-nine thousand of which were still operational. We were able to revive the occupants without further losses and the surviving protheans, realizing their empire was gone, elected to join the Alliance as the Prothean Protectorate."

"You have living protheans among you?" asked Benezia. Liara would go ballistic when she found out.

"Indeed. As of the last census their numbers had climbed to just over one hundred fifty thousand, most of whom still reside on Eden Prime."

"Can we meet them?" asked the asari consul hesitantly. She could already imagine the fallout from this discovery. The protheans were almost revered by the Citadel races, and the hanar viewed them as their creators.

"I'm sure that can be arranged in time," replied Goyle diplomatically, "and if they themselves wish to meet with you. Only a small number of the survivors were members of the military. The vast majority were civilians that were put in stasis as a way to preserve their empire. Therefore we cannot compel them to do anything they do not wish to do."

"I understand," replied the asari, disappointment creeping into her voice. "So the Alliance is composed of humans and various subspecies of humans as well as protheans then," she concluded, but stopped when she noticed Goyle exchange a look with Caldwell. "Is there more?"

"Yes," replied Goyle hesitantly. "The other major population in the Alliance is synthetic."

Caerus came out of his seat at that. "You have AIs! Do you have any idea how dangerous that can be?"

Goyle sat quietly and watched the turian, waiting for him to calm down. It was only when he sat down that she continued. "Yes the Alliance considers sapient synthetics to be full citizens, again under the Sapient's Rights Act. As to the dangers we are all very aware of the potential hazards that synthetics can pose. We are also aware of the fact that your views of synthetics are largely colored by your experiences with the geth. However we have successfully coexisted with synthetics for over a hundred years and have never faced a large scale uprising. In fact the Sapient's Rights Act was specifically written to avoid that possibility."

"How so?" asked the salarian consul.

"Human fiction going back to before even the crudest electronics had been invented has warned us of the possibility of a sapient computer turning on us. One of the most seminal works was written by a man named Isaac Asimov. In it he popularized the so-called 'Three Laws of Robotics', a set of rules that were conceived as a way of protecting humanity from a robotic uprising. This work began a whole school of thought that today is known as cyberethics and led to the requirement that any sapient synthetic has to have an ethics program incorporated into its cognitive matrix, a sort of conscience. It does not prevent a synthetic from committing a crime or harming another. But it does require a synthetic to consider the consequences of its actions much as an organic must do the same."

"And what happens when a synthetic does cause harm?" asked the salarian.

"At that point they are in violation of the law. They are tracked down, arrested and tried. If found guilty they are remanded to the corrections system for rehabilitation. Again the same as what would happen to an organic."

"And you really haven't had any problems?" asked the turian incredulously. It had become accepted fact that organics and synthetics could not coexist without killing each other.

"Of course we've had problems," snorted Caldwell. "Organics attack synthetics. Synthetics attack organics. But, and here's the important part, for the most part we get along with each other. Humanity has never been a particularly peaceful race, and the inclusion of synthetics hasn't changed that. But we manage to work together somehow, just as we've always done."

"We consider that what brings us together to be far more important than that which makes us different," added Goyle. "Isn't that how your Citadel works? The idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?"

That stopped the Citadel representative's arguments. Was it possible that they had let their blind prejudices overwhelm them? It wasn't an idea that someone, regardless of their species, liked to think of themselves. But it was a valid point nonetheless.

"I can understand your reasoning when presented that way," replied Selera. "And we're not here to judge you in any case."

"As we are not here to judge you," replied Goyle with a smile. "So shall we move on?"

* * *

_Citadel News Network Headquarters, Zakera Ward_

The atmosphere within the studio was unlike anything the various reporters had ever experienced. It was almost as if electricity had charged the air itself, such was the excitement. It had been almost a century and a half since the Citadel had made contact with another race, in that case the drell whose world had been dying. Some remembered that time, the crushing sadness of seeing an entire species near extinction. It had been even worse when the numbers that the hanar would save had been published; far too low for anyone's tastes.

But that had been a long time ago and this time it was a different feeling. This new race, these humans were going to change everything. At least that was what CiNN's lead anchor was sure of.

Her name was Veness S'Lona, an asari maiden that had just celebrated her one hundred-fifty sixth birthday. She was the youngest asari to ever head the prestigious network's primetime news broadcast and it wasn't just because of her stunning good looks. Across Citadel space she was considered to be one of the most dedicated reporters around, having broken numerous major stories including one linking a high ranking turian hierarch to the Blood Pack mercenary group, a story that had ended his career.

Still as they watched the feeds coming in from Illium she could tell that this would be one of the most important stories she'd ever report on. They'd just finished watching the initial meeting between the two sides and the humans had returned to their ship through that beam of light. She was going on air in less than two minutes for what was probably going to be one of the liveliest broadcasts in thirty years.

Taking a deep breath, Veness left her dressing room and headed for the main studio.

"Hey there Ven," said one of the camera operators as he made final adjustments. "Big night eh?"

"No kidding," she replied with a smile as she took her seat at the large glass table, already occupied with the other commentators. "Everyone ready for this?"

"Yeah," replied her turian counterpart. A former naval officer named Filo Razarius; he'd been with the network for almost five years and was an expert on military matters. "I still can't believe this is happening."

"I just wish it was happening here," interjected the salarian anchor, Penin Othar. "Can you imagine the ratings we'd be pulling if they'd shown up at the Citadel?"

"With barely contained excitement: I can just see the awards now." That was their elcor colleague Callir. "Disappointed: But we cannot change what is."

"True," replied Veness in resignation. "Let's just focus on getting through this show."

"Ten seconds," announced the lead cameraman. "Five, four, three, two…," he counted down, pointing when the camera went live.

"This is the Citadel News Network. I'm Veness S'Lona and this is Day in Review."

"For those of you just joining us, the top story of the day is the surprise first contact taking place on Illium. Approximately four hours ago an unidentified ship appeared in the Tasale system and requested a meeting with Citadel representatives for the purpose of discussing the recent incident on Torfan. What do we know about that Filo?"

"Recently declassified STG reports suggest that the slaver world was attacked approximately one week ago by a fleet belonging to this new race. They've identified themselves as humans and were responding to an attack by the slavers on one of their worlds. Footage shows them completely overwhelming the defending forces leading to a full surrender within hours of contact."

"And what does that say about the humans?" asked Veness leadingly, opening up a spot for the turian to give his expert commentary.

"The first thing that comes to mind is that they have a very well equipped military. I doubt the Hierarchy could've accomplished the same in less than a week. But the footage also shows that they employed several weapons that are banned under the Citadel Accords."

"Yes I've seen the same footage," added Penin with a nod. "Nanite and antimatter weaponry was used against surface targets. That shows both a dangerous level of technology and a ruthlessness that is alarming."

"Questioningly: But were they not responding to an attack on one of their worlds?" interjected Callir.

"An alleged attack," countered Penin. "We have no confirmation except for the human's accusations. And for that matter we don't know the level of devastation the attack caused. This could've been a massive overreaction."

"Oh please," replied Filo dismissively. "They were completely justified in their assault. I just wish the Hierarchy had the fringe to do the same in a similar situation. And it sets a precedent too. I doubt any of the Terminus slavers will be so eager to attack the humans again."

"So you think they were justified in their actions?" asked Veness. Inwardly she was pleased the conversation had taken this turn. Filo was a known critic of the Hierarchy and Citadel appeasement and Penin was an utter pacifist. Put them together and it was always something to see, not to mention great for ratings.

"Absolutely," replied the turian. "They were attacked. They responded and by the way crippled one of the largest slaving rings in the galaxy. They should all get metals for their actions."

"But what about their illicit technologies," countered the salarian, "and especially their revelation about having synthetics in their society? That poses a threat to the entire galaxy."

"Dismissive: They seem to have them under control," replied the elcor. "Questioningly: Why must we assume that all synthetics will act like the geth did?"

"Organics and synthetics cannot co-exist Callir. Just ask the quarians!" replied Penin.

"Challengingly: But the quarians tried to exterminate the geth. What if, when that first geth had asked if it had a soul, the quarians had replied that they didn't know but they would try and find out? Where would they be today?"

"Oh please. That question has been parsed for the last three centuries by every first year political science major," replied Penin. "For all we know those things would've still turned on their masters and the quarians would've still ended up as the vagrants they are today."

"With rising hostility: And maybe they'd have a seat on the council. Until this point there has been no practical way of knowing what could've happened. Now the humans offer hard data on how organics and synthetics can co-exist."

"And I find it interesting what the human military officer said," interjected Filo. "That they don't live in peace and harmony but instead still have conflicts with each other and find a way to get along. I think that we've placed too much emphasis on the organic-synthetic divide. From my perspective it appears that the humans don't really think that way; instead treating their synthetics like they're just another race."

"Speaking of aliens," said Veness, moving away from the synthetic issue, "what do you guys make of the revelation that the humans also have living protheans among them?"

"If it's true then it's pretty incredible," admitted Filo. "The race that built the Citadel and the mass relays is living with the humans. And that also opens up the question of what they've shared with their human benefactors. Do the humans have the ability to build relays? Could they build another Citadel if they wanted?"

"Personally I doubt that possibility," dismissed Penin. "Such undertaking would be far beyond such a young race. They openly told us that they haven't had mass effect technology for even a century."

"Young?" asked the turian in disbelief. "Their battlecruiser is still hovering not a half kilometer over Nos Astra. Not even the asari could accomplish something like that. I don't think this species is young, at least not in the technological sense."

"The protheans probably gave them that tech Filo and you know it," replied the salarian. "Any other explanation would require their rate of development to be almost two orders of magnitude faster than the asari. There's simply no way."

"With stunned disbelief: You are assuming things about this race without knowing anything about them. Accusatory: I think you simply want to maintain the myth of Citadel superiority," rejected Callir. "Not all species develop at the same rate. Perhaps their synthetics have increased their rate of development."

"I agree," said Veness, retaking control of the conversation. "I seem to remember reading about a similar theory published by a quarian futurist that suggested that if synthetics could be successfully integrated into society, it could lead to extremely rapid technological progress."

"I know of that theory and its complete crap," countered the salarian passionately. "I'll tell you now that synthetics and organics simply cannot coexist. And when this false utopia that the humans believe they're living in comes crashing down around their heads, then I pray that any deities that exist will protect us from the consequences. And that's not to mention their wanton tampering with their own DNA."

"It's their race," replied Filo with a shrug. "If they want to alter themselves like that or uplift animal species it's their choice."

"But to mix themselves with non-sapient fauna? It dilutes their entire genome," replied the salarian. He had been chosen as the token conservative on the network for a reason. "I cannot even begin to imagine the damage it has done to their culture."

"Accusatory: Again you judge an alien race by your own narrow standards Penin. We don't know enough about them to make such statements."

"Can we all agree that we will need to know more about them before making a decision," asked Veness, receiving agreeing nods from everyone around the table, even Penin reluctantly. "Good. Now Filo I want to know more about their announcement of having stealth technology and the potential impact it could have right after this commercial break…"

* * *

_Citadel Council Chambers_

"She's right you know," said Turnius. "We don't know nearly enough about them."

"And they seem to know everything about us. I don't like this. Administrator," added Palar addressing the head of STG, "what intelligence do we have about them. And I don't care how classified it is."

That made the other salarian shuffle uncomfortably. STG generally hoarded intel as a miser hoarded his money. "The truth is that aside from the recording of the battle on Torfan, we know very little. I can confirm their stealth technology is everything they say it is. There was an incident near Omega a few years ago that allowed us to detect one of their vessels for a brief time. But our analysis suggests that it was experiencing some sort of malfunction. When it was resolved the vessel was effectively invisible again."

"We also believe that the humans were responsible for the new plasma weapons and shields that have come onto the market in the Terminus of late. But until Torfan that was only speculation. Rumors and hearsay of a new race appearing and making business deals have increased over the past decade but we dismissed those for the most part as more 'collector' misinformation."

"What sort of deals?" asked the Tevos curiously.

"Apparently this new race was interested in acquiring eezo, military ship hulls and several rare earths in large quantities. They paid for them with the sale of plasma cannons and shields which apparently netted them quite a large amount of credits. But again this is all rumors and speculation and I personally tend to dismiss it."

"Why?"

"Well consider the battle for Torfan. The humans deployed an entire fleet but not a single one of the ships we recorded even vaguely resembled known vessel designs. If they were buying large numbers of hulls then that suggests that they're short of deployable forces and therefore it follows that they would've deployed at least some of those ships for such a major strike."

The three councilors nodded in agreement to the logic of that. "So you're telling us that we know nothing," concluded the turian.

"Yes," replied the administrator simply. "They've gone to a great deal of trouble to remain concealed until this point."

"And how are we supposed to deal with a race that we know nothing about?" asked Turnius rhetorically.

The room was silent for a moment before Tevos spoke. "Let's change that then."

"What do you mean?" asked the salarian councilor.

"Well they've sent expeditions to our space to study us. I think turnabout is fair. We request to send an expedition to this Systems Alliance of theirs. Only when they return do we begin making any decisions about our future relations."

"What makes you think they'll agree to this idea?" asked Turnius.

"Whether they agree or not will tell us something," replied the asari matriarch smugly. "If they do then we gain vital information about their culture and society. If they don't then we still learn something about them; namely that they're insular and distrusting."

"And what about those that we send?" asked Palar. "How can we ensure their safety?"

"Maybe ask that some of their people stay on the Citadel for the duration," suggested the turian.

"As hostages?" replied Tevos in distaste. "That'll only insult them. It would say that we don't trust them and it could sour our relationship for decades. No we'll invite a group of humans to stay on Illium for the duration but their safety won't be conditional on our expedition's. First contact has always been a dangerous undertaking. I'm sure we all remember our experience with the yahg."

"I like this idea," said Palar, "however I suggest we send one of our vessels instead of simply turning over a delegation to the humans. Maybe even send a media team to broadcast from human territory if that should prove feasible."

"Turnius," asked Tevos as she turned to the old general, "we could force this issue but I won't push for this plan without your support."

The hierarch sat quietly for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Finally he nodded his head before turning to the administrator. "On one condition. I want at least one of the envoys to be a high ranking member of STG."

"Of course," replied the salarian spy. "That goes without saying."

"Good. Then I agree to this proposal."

"Very well. Casadra," said Tevos, turning to her aide, "contact Selera L'Tor on Illium and have her pass on our proposal to the human delegation at the next available opportunity."

"Of course councilor," replied the maiden as she excused herself from the meeting. Already she was preparing her graxbox data for transmission. Cerberus would be able to make great use of her recordings.

* * *

_Neu Berlin, Reichstag System, Local Cluster_

The structure was simply known as The Temple; an imposing ziggurat shaped arcology built at the center of the capitol city of Brandenburg. The name was an allusion to the ancient home of the Knights Templar atop the Temple Mount back in Jerusalem. The building represented the single most fortified position in the entire Frieden Union, a citadel within the center of a city that itself was a fortress. It was from the imposing onyx structure that the Union's true leaders ruled.

Deep within the structure, through countless layers of security sat eleven men. Known as the Council of Payens, the eleven were responsible for charting the course of more than thirty billion men, women and children. However the people were just a means to an end, a convenient resource that they could call on to fight their wars and fill their coffers and like any resource, they were easily discarded whenever it proved necessary.

At the head of the table sat the Grand Master. Well into his eighties, he was one of the longest standing members of the Templars and the grandson of one of the organizations founders, the man that had held the Nanite detonator that had destroyed Tehran almost a century earlier.

"So the Alliance has made first contact with the Citadel," he spoke, a low growl underlining his hatred.

"Indeed," spoke another, this one in his late sixties. "Our contacts on Omega also report a possible contact between Aria T'Loak and a Cerberus operative however we have no confirmation as of this point."

"They're moving quickly," spoke a third. "They seek to cut us off from our resources."

"That cannot be allowed," replied the second. "Our resource base still hasn't recovered from the war."

"It will be necessary to resume hostiles in the near future," declared the master. "It is all part of the plan."

"I was a brilliant stoke I have to admit," said the second. "Instigating an attack on one of the Traverse colonies as a way to draw the Alliance fleet out of the Local Cluster."

"And all it took was a rumor of prothean artifacts and a few amplified radio signals," chuckled the third. "I always knew the Ha'rasa Syndicate was too stupid to live. And it did tie up a loose end quite nicely."

"They captured Enton Malar," commented another, this one a well-dressed young man at the bottom of the table.

"What do you mean?" asked the second, a note of fear in his voice.

"Exactly what I said," replied Jack Harper, head of Frieden Intelligence. "General Williams forced her into surrender towards the end of the battle. I imagine Cerberus is interrogating her as we speak; assuming they haven't already gotten what they wanted."

"It doesn't matter," dismissed the third. "Our dealings were with Balor, not his harlot second. And he died along with his ship. Although in the future," he continued, turning a glare to the second, "I think it would be best if you procured your 'merchandise' from local sources."

"Enough," commanded the master. He had never been one to indulge in the more risqué benefits of his station. "What is the status of the upgrades to our fleet?"

"They're proceeding apace," replied Harper with a grin. "We should have the new weapons installed on approximately one-fifth of our fleet within six months."

"That will have to be enough," replied the master with a frown. "I must commend you on developing these new armaments. You will be suitably rewarded for your actions."

"I am honored master," replied Harper, hiding his disgust for those around him behind a mask of fawning deference. He was biding his time for an opportunity to dispose of these pathetic old men; stuck in the past and clouded by fanaticism. When they were gone he would claim the title of Grand Master for himself, leading the Frieden Union into the future and erasing the Alliance and their Cerberus backers from the galaxy.

He was thankful to his ally, the great ship he'd encountered in the Terminus years earlier. It had promised to help him further his plans in exchange for his help in destroying the Alliance. How it had learned of the Alliance was immaterial. Their elimination would serve the greater good of humanity.

As the meeting broke he made plans to contact his friend. Nazara would need to know of the new timetable.


End file.
